Month: April 2016

In New York hat Acer eine Menge Geräte vorgestellt: ein lüfterloses 2-in-1-Detachable, eine Aspire-S13-Neuauflage und das Predator-G17X-Notebook mit Geforce GTX 980. Obendrein gibt's neue Desktops und Displays. (Acer, Notebook)

Multiple sources have confirmed that Sony is indeed working on an upgraded PS4 that will have upgraded CPU, GPU and RAM to enable better graphics.

Internally referred to as "NEO", but commonly called the PS4.5 or PS4K, there has been extensive rumors surrounding the possibility of an upgraded SKU, but this lateststory by Giant Bomb's Austin Walker is the most credible report yet of Sony's secret plans.

According to Walker's sources, the NEO's CPU will be upgraded to run at 2.1 GHz, up from the current 1.6 GHz. The GPU, currently an AMD GCN with 18 CUs at 800 MHz, will be upgraded to an improved AMD GCN with 36 CUs at 911 MHz. Memory bandwidth of the GDDR5 RAM has also been improved to 218 GB/s, from the current 176 GB/s.

What all this means is that this upgraded PS4 will finally be able to support 4K gaming, as well as upscaling existing 1080p games to the enhanced resolution.

As for how future PS4 games will work, especially in relation to existing "base" consoles, Sony has mandated that all future games continue to work on the base PS4, but can optionally features a "NEO Mode" that turns on enhanced graphical features to take advantage of the newer consoles, including 4K. The framerate of games in NEO Mode must match or exceed the game in base mode on standard PS4s, Sony's documentation also states.

Walker's sources however did not reveal whether the new PS4 will come with a new Blu-ray drive to allow the playback of Ultra HD Blu-ray discs. While this seems to make sense, the added cost of a new Blu-ray drive, plus the fact that Sony's movie studio arm has yet to commit to the new 4K disc format by announcing any releases, means the PS4 NEO could still end up being limited to standard Blu-ray playback.

Meanwhile, Microsoft appears to be working on their own upgraded console, with FCC filings seem to support at least two new Xbox One models. A similar filing from Brazilian authorities supports the same theory with further proof, including photos of the upgraded wireless chipset. The Brazilian filing are also under a non disclosure agreement that expires June 25, the week after E3, fueling suggestions that Microsoft could announce the new Xbox One SKUs at the gaming expo.

One announcement Microsoft has already made is in regards to the Xbox One's predecessor. The Redmond firm has officially confirmed the end of production for the venerable Xbox 360. Sales have been in steady decline for the ageing console, which was first made available over a decade ago, and with the Xbox One now offering Xbox 360 backwards compatibility, Microsoft has very little reason to continue with the now very much outdated console.

Die Bürotemperatur messen und ins Internet übertragen - mit ein wenig Code und preiswerten Bauelementen geht das mit einem kleinen WLAN-Modul. Wir zeigen, wie es funktioniert. (Anleitung, Server)

Die Telefónica braucht Geld für den Netzausbau und verkauft ihre O2- und E-Plus-Sendemasten. Rund 2.350 Stahl-und Betonmasten gehen für 587 Millionen Euro an Telxius. (Telefónica, E-Plus)

Bei einem Besuch in Norwegen hat Tesla-Gründer Elon Musk eine Lösung für den öffentlichen Nahverkehr angekündigt, die mit autonomen Fahrzeugen funktionieren könnte. Musk wollte sich aber nicht festlegen, was für Modelle das sein würden. Gewöhnliche Busse hat er nicht im Kopf. (Elon Musk, Technologie)

Amazon hat seine aktuellen 7-Zoll-Tablets erneuert. Die Fire Tablets gibt es jetzt mit deutlich mehr internem Speicher - teilweise auch ohne Aufpreis. (Fire-Tablets, Amazon)

In recent years file-sharers all across Europe have been threatened with lawsuits, if they don’t pay a significant settlement fee.

The process was pioneered in Germany where it turned into an industry by itself, but copyright holders have also targeted alleged pirates in the UK, Finland and elsewhere.

Sweden is one of the latest countries where these so-called “copyright trolls” have landed. At the birth ground of The Pirate Bay, media outfit Crystalis Entertainment received permission from the court to identify several BitTorrent users, based on their IP-addresses.

The case, which could be the first of many, was filed against the local ISP TeliaSonera who handed over the requested information without putting up much of a fight.

This prompted the competing Internet provider Bahnhof to issue a warning. The company notes that the copyright holder in question doesn’t have a very strong case, and it criticizes Telia for caving in too easily.

“The Stockholm district court did not even see any evidence showing that these IP addresses were actually used for file sharing. It could basically be one of these Nigerian mail scams,” Bahnhof CEO Jon Karlung says.

“I think that Telia folded caved in too easily. Although Crystal Entertainment properly represents certain copyright holders, at Bahnhof we would choose to appeal,” he adds.

The ISP says that they will not hand over any data without urging for a proper review of the evidence.

This is no surprise for a company that’s heavily focused on user privacy. Bahnhof’s tagline is “Internet with privacy” and two years ago the ISP was one of the first to launch a free VPN, responding to a legal requirement that required it to log subscriber activities.

In a press release Bahnhof explains how these extortion-like demands from copyright holders have become commonplace in Germany. It’s exactly this type of witch hunt is something they hope to prevent in Sweden.

This means that if copyright holders demand the same info from Bahnhof, they will fight this in court.

“We have to follow the law and no one can predict the future, but one thing I can guarantee, we’re on the side if our users. We will do everything in our power to prevent the German situation from spreading,” Karlung says.

Bahnhof’s CEO also has some advice for the media companies that are affected by piracy. They should invest their time and money in offering great content, instead of taking their customers to court.

“It is better for copyright holders to put their money into developing services that people want to pay for, like Netflix and Spotify, instead of becoming entrenched in the 1900s,” he concludes.

Source: TF, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, torrent sites and ANONYMOUS VPN services.

Thecus bringt ein kleines NAS-System mit dem Windows Storage Server auf den Markt. In der Regel werden solche Systeme mit Linux betrieben. Untypisch für ein so kleines System ist die gute Ausstattung. (NAS, Speichermedien)

Für den Hack eines iPhones der Attentäter von San Bernardino hat das FBI gezahlt und zwar über 1,3 Millionen US-Dollar. Die US-Bundespolizei hat dadurch aber wohl keine neuen Erkenntnisse gewonnen. (Apple vs. FBI, Apple)

Volvo will bis 2025 rund eine Million Fahrzeuge mit Elektromotor, darunter auch Hybride, verkaufen. Das erste reine Elektroauto des Unternehmens soll 2019 auf den Markt kommen. (Elektroauto, GreenIT)