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Tesla’s no-good rotten couple of weeks see more fingers pointed at Autopilot

Two more Model X crashes see fingers pointed at Autopilot.

Tesla's Model X SUV. Our brief drive in one leads us to believe it could be the best driving SUV on the market.

6 more images in gallery

It has been a rough couple of weeks for Tesla. Until now, the electric vehicle maker has been a media doyenne, wowing us with EVs that are credible alternatives to the traditional combustion-powered car or SUV—even attractive finally to some drivers for whom not being able to go on a cross-country road trip at a moment's notice is a deal-breaker.

It all started at the end of June, when Tesla revealed in a blog post that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had begun an investigation into the company's Autopilot system following a fatal crash in Florida in May. Since then, the Detroit Free Press has reported on another pair of Tesla crashes—a Model X SUV that rolled over on the Pennsylvania Turnpike on July 1, followed by another Model X crash that took place on July 10—calling into doubt the safety of Autopilot. Unlike the May crash, neither of the subsequent incidents involved fatalities.

Tesla has said that it does not have data to support Autopilot being a factor in the July 1 crash, telling the Detroit Free Press in a statement that "We received an automated alert from this vehicle on July 1 indicating air bag deployment, but logs containing detailed information on the state of the vehicle controls at the time of the collision were never received. This is consistent with damage of the severity reported in the press, which can cause the antenna to fail."

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Sky Wins ‘Pirate’ Domain Name Dispute, Forgets to Take it Down

British broadcasting giant Sky has won a WIPO domain name dispute against a pirate site that was streaming their content without permission. WIPO’s arbitration commission handed over the skysportslive.tv domain to Sky a few weeks ago. However, even under Sky’s ownership it still links to pirated streams.

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

skylogoPirate sports streaming sites are a thorn in the side of Sky, the UK’s largest pay TV provider.

While it’s an impossible task to shut down these sites all at once, the company recently decided to take action against one that uses the Sky brand to advertise itself.

The site in question, Skysportslive.tv, has been online for several years offering free access to various sporting channels.

Earlier this year Sky ran out of patience. The company filed a complaint against the domain name owner at the World International Property Organization (WIPO), which has an arbitration panel to resolve domain name disputes.

In the complaint, Sky argued that the domain uses their trademark without permission, that the owner had no legitimate interest in the domain, and that the domain was registered in bad faith.

After a careful review, WIPO panelist Evan Brown sided with Sky. The domain name owner, a Pakistan resident, failed to respond but according to Brown there is no indication that the site is destined for legal purposes.

“Respondent is not using and has not used, or made demonstrable preparations to use, the disputed domain name in connection with a bona fide offering of goods or services,” the panelist writes.

Instead, it is apparent that the use of the Sky trademark is intended to confuse visitors into believing that the site is legitimate.

“In this case, it is clear that the purpose of registering the disputed domain name was primarily to rely on the value of the Mark in order to confuse Internet users,” the decision ads.

All in all a good outcome for Sky, which gained control over the domain name several weeks ago as the WHOIS entry clearly shows.

Sky now owns Skysportslive.tv

skydomain

However, the company appears to have missed the most crucial part of the arbitration process. That is, updating the domain’s old nameservers after it won.

This means that today, even after several weeks have passed, the now Sky-owned domain is still pointing people to pirated streams.

Those who access the domain are forwarded to crichd.in, another pirate streaming site. Crichd.in uses pretty much the same layout as the original site and is operated by the same people.

Question is, can this sports streaming portal still be characterized as a pirate site if Sky is linking to it?

Sky’s domain, linking to Crichd.in

crichd

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

Valve can’t pass buck to third parties for teaching CS:GO kids to gamble

Opinion: Valve’s own Dota 2 and CS:GO much worse than third-party gambling sites.

The seedy world of video game gambling has recently been thrust into the spotlight after the revelation that a pair of successful YouTubers were promoting a gambling site, CSGOLotto, that they happened to own. They failed to disclose their relationship with the site, instead acting as if they merely stumbled across it.

That story has attracted a lot of attention to the massive world of game-related betting, and it has gotten players and critics riled up about the state of the third-party sites that promote and maintain those bets. But while those kinds of dubious-looking sites are easy to malign, the issue of kid-friendly gambling, and its rampant promotion, has reached a point where the problem can't be resolved if we don't assign blame to the game and online marketplace developer at the heart of everything: Valve Software.

Hats and skins, the chips of the online gambling world

Valve's two biggest games at the moment, Dota 2 and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, enjoy unabashed popularity among gaming's bettors. Gambling sites routinely sponsor tournaments and streams, making the phenomenon hard to avoid if you have any interest in e-sports. Most gambling is of the straightforward "bet on who will win a professional game" type, though not all; CSGOLotto, for example, creates pools of in-game items that one person wins in a randomized draw.

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Deals of the Day (7-12-2016: Non-Amazon Prime edition)

Deals of the Day (7-12-2016: Non-Amazon Prime edition)

So Amazon’s got this 1-day sale thing going on today. But Amazon isn’t the only place to score a deal today.

The Microsoft Store is running its own 1-day sale. Walmart is offering free shipping for the rest of the week. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Here are some of the best deals I could find today that have nothing to do with Amazon Prime Day.

Laptops and 2-in-1s 

  • Asus Zenbook UX305CA 13″ ultrabook  w/Core M3/8GB/256GB for $626 after rebate – Newegg
  • Razer Blade 14″ gaming laptop w/Core i7-4720HQ/16GB/256GB/NVIDIA 970M for $1799 – Microsoft Store
  • Buy select Surface Pro 4 models, get a free Surface Dock (worth $199) – Microsoft Store
  • Asus Transformer Book T200 2-in-1 Windows notebook for $250 – Adorama

Tablets

  • Apple iPad mini 2 w/16GB for $229 – Walmart
  • Apple iPad Air 2 for $100 off (starting at $300) – Best Buy

Desktops

  • Alienware Alpha Steambox w/Core i5-4590T/8GB/1TB/NVIDIA for $460 – Newegg (coupon: EMCELFG75)
  • Lenovo ideaCentre Stick 300 Windows PC + multimedia remote/keyboard for $109 – Microsoft Store
  • HP mini PCs for $300 and up – Woot

Smartphones

  • Google Nexus 5X w/32GB for $269 – B&H
  • ZTE Axon w/Snapdragon 801/2GB/32GB for $160 – Newegg
  • Refurb Samsung Galaxy S6 scratch & dent for $260 – Woot

Memory cards

  • G.Skill 32GB microSDHC card for $7 – Newegg (coupon: ESCELFG27)
  • Samsung 64GB EVO microSDXC card for $18 – Newegg (coupon: ESCELFG35)
  • SanDisk 64GB microSDXC card for $25 – Best Buy
  • SanDisk 200GB UHS-I microSDXC card for $59 – B&H
  • SanDisk memory 1-day sale – Adorama

 

Other Accessories

  • JBL Flip 2 portable Bluetooth speaker for $50 – Microsoft Store
  • Asus ZenDrive ultra-slim external DVD drive for $10 after rebate – Newegg (coupon: EMCELFG46)
  • Universal Mobile keyboard for $40 – Microsoft Store

PC components

  • Mushkin 480GB 2.5″ SSD for $97 – Newegg (coupon: ESCELFG22)
  • Crucial 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3L-1600 laptop memory for $53 – Newegg (coupon: EMCELFG26)

You can find more bargains in our daily deals section.

Continue reading Deals of the Day (7-12-2016: Non-Amazon Prime edition) at Liliputing.

Deals of the Day (7-12-2016: Non-Amazon Prime edition)

So Amazon’s got this 1-day sale thing going on today. But Amazon isn’t the only place to score a deal today.

The Microsoft Store is running its own 1-day sale. Walmart is offering free shipping for the rest of the week. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Here are some of the best deals I could find today that have nothing to do with Amazon Prime Day.

Laptops and 2-in-1s 

  • Asus Zenbook UX305CA 13″ ultrabook  w/Core M3/8GB/256GB for $626 after rebate – Newegg
  • Razer Blade 14″ gaming laptop w/Core i7-4720HQ/16GB/256GB/NVIDIA 970M for $1799 – Microsoft Store
  • Buy select Surface Pro 4 models, get a free Surface Dock (worth $199) – Microsoft Store
  • Asus Transformer Book T200 2-in-1 Windows notebook for $250 – Adorama

Tablets

  • Apple iPad mini 2 w/16GB for $229 – Walmart
  • Apple iPad Air 2 for $100 off (starting at $300) – Best Buy

Desktops

  • Alienware Alpha Steambox w/Core i5-4590T/8GB/1TB/NVIDIA for $460 – Newegg (coupon: EMCELFG75)
  • Lenovo ideaCentre Stick 300 Windows PC + multimedia remote/keyboard for $109 – Microsoft Store
  • HP mini PCs for $300 and up – Woot

Smartphones

  • Google Nexus 5X w/32GB for $269 – B&H
  • ZTE Axon w/Snapdragon 801/2GB/32GB for $160 – Newegg
  • Refurb Samsung Galaxy S6 scratch & dent for $260 – Woot

Memory cards

  • G.Skill 32GB microSDHC card for $7 – Newegg (coupon: ESCELFG27)
  • Samsung 64GB EVO microSDXC card for $18 – Newegg (coupon: ESCELFG35)
  • SanDisk 64GB microSDXC card for $25 – Best Buy
  • SanDisk 200GB UHS-I microSDXC card for $59 – B&H
  • SanDisk memory 1-day sale – Adorama

 

Other Accessories

  • JBL Flip 2 portable Bluetooth speaker for $50 – Microsoft Store
  • Asus ZenDrive ultra-slim external DVD drive for $10 after rebate – Newegg (coupon: EMCELFG46)
  • Universal Mobile keyboard for $40 – Microsoft Store

PC components

  • Mushkin 480GB 2.5″ SSD for $97 – Newegg (coupon: ESCELFG22)
  • Crucial 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3L-1600 laptop memory for $53 – Newegg (coupon: EMCELFG26)

You can find more bargains in our daily deals section.

Continue reading Deals of the Day (7-12-2016: Non-Amazon Prime edition) at Liliputing.

Oculus finally clears backlog of Rift pre-orders, four months later

You can now get new Rift hardware in two to four business days.

If you didn't jump on the VR bandwagon the very second Oculus announced the availability of its $599 (£499) Rift headset back in January, you may have ended up waiting months for your ticket to the virtual world. Now, Oculus says that waiting is over, and the company has cleared out the backlog of pre-orders over the last few months. New Oculus Rift orders are expected to ship within two to four business days, according to an announcement blog post.

The ability to keep up with demand has been a long time coming for Oculus, which faced an "unexpected component shortage" that delayed many early shipments shortly after the official March launch. The company offered free shipping to pre-orderers to make up for the early problems.

The $799 (£689) HTC Vive, which started shipping in April, saw backorders pushed back to June shipment but is now available for immediate shipping from HTC's website. It's hard to directly compare demand for the two units, though, without solid knowledge of how many units both headset makers were able to supply.

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Telefónica Deutschland: Störung im Mobilfunknetz von E-Plus

In mehreren Großräumen Deutschlands ist heute das Netz von E-Plus gestört. Anrufe ins Festnetz sind nicht möglich. Auch Kunden von O2 sind betroffen, wenn sie National Roaming nutzen. (E-Plus, Telefónica)

In mehreren Großräumen Deutschlands ist heute das Netz von E-Plus gestört. Anrufe ins Festnetz sind nicht möglich. Auch Kunden von O2 sind betroffen, wenn sie National Roaming nutzen. (E-Plus, Telefónica)

Google’s Project Fi gets international LTE, adds Three to carrier lineup

International speeds get uncapped. Fi will now pick the fastest available network.

Just a few months ago Google added US Cellular to the Project Fi lineup, allowing the service to pick the fastest network between T-Mobile, Sprint, and US Cellular when users are here in the US. Today, Google is making a similar announcement for international coverage, adding the cellular carrier Three to the lineup of international carriers.

Project Fi has always worked internationally in 135 countries, with data costing the same as it does in the US ($10 per GB). The downside was that it was very slow—you'd be stuck with 3G-ish speeds. Today Google also announced it's uncapping speeds internationally, offering a "10x-20x" speed boost.

The official post is pretty vague about what this means, but a Google spokesperson told TechCrunch, “Users will get the fastest connection available on a given network, speeds aren’t capped. In some cases, that would be LTE networks, in others it would be 3G networks (depending on roaming agreements). Different countries will have different speeds, which is why we set a range.”

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Microsoft: Windows Server 2016 wird im September fertig

Microsoft wird auf der Ignite 2016 in Atlanta den Windows Server 2016 in der fertigen Version vorstellen. Auch das System Center wird dann in einer neuen Version veröffentlicht werden. (Server, Microsoft)

Microsoft wird auf der Ignite 2016 in Atlanta den Windows Server 2016 in der fertigen Version vorstellen. Auch das System Center wird dann in einer neuen Version veröffentlicht werden. (Server, Microsoft)

Samsung develops socket that reads UFS and microSD cards

Samsung develops socket that reads UFS and microSD cards

Samsung’s new UFS memory cards are about the same size as a microSD card, but they offer read/write speeds that are much higher. That means we could eventually see phones and tablets that support removable storage with the same kind of performance you’d expect from a decent laptop or desktop-class SSD.

There’s just one catch: you’ll probably need a new phone or tablet. Samsung has confirmed that its UFS cards won’t work with existing devices, because they can’t be read by the microSD card slot used in your current phone.

Continue reading Samsung develops socket that reads UFS and microSD cards at Liliputing.

Samsung develops socket that reads UFS and microSD cards

Samsung’s new UFS memory cards are about the same size as a microSD card, but they offer read/write speeds that are much higher. That means we could eventually see phones and tablets that support removable storage with the same kind of performance you’d expect from a decent laptop or desktop-class SSD.

There’s just one catch: you’ll probably need a new phone or tablet. Samsung has confirmed that its UFS cards won’t work with existing devices, because they can’t be read by the microSD card slot used in your current phone.

Continue reading Samsung develops socket that reads UFS and microSD cards at Liliputing.

Zenfone 3 Deluxe: Asus’ neues Top-Smartphone kommt mit Snapdragon 821

Das auf der Computex 2016 vorgestellte Zenfone 3 Deluxe wird in einer Ausstattungsvariante den neuen Snapdragon 821 als SoC haben. Außerdem hat es 6 GByte RAM, 256 GByte Flash-Speicher und eine 23-Megapixel-Kamera. Für diese Ausstattung will Asus umgerechnet 700 Euro haben. (Asus, Smartphone)

Das auf der Computex 2016 vorgestellte Zenfone 3 Deluxe wird in einer Ausstattungsvariante den neuen Snapdragon 821 als SoC haben. Außerdem hat es 6 GByte RAM, 256 GByte Flash-Speicher und eine 23-Megapixel-Kamera. Für diese Ausstattung will Asus umgerechnet 700 Euro haben. (Asus, Smartphone)