Google hat parallel zu Android N ein neues Android Beta Programm gestartet. Damit lassen sich unterstützte Geräte einfacher als bisher mit einer neuen Vorabversion von Android bespielen. (Android_N, Google) 
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Auto-Uploadr: Flickr macht nützliche Upload-Software kostenpflichtig
Yahoos Bilderdienst Flickr bietet mit dem Auto-Uploadr eine ehemals kostenlose Funktion nur noch zahlenden Abonnenten an. Der Auto-Uploadr lädt alle Bilder des Rechners beziehungsweise eines Ordners auf Flickr und berücksichtig auch neu hinzugekommene Fotos. (You-Rista: Kaffeemaschine mit App-Anschluss
Tchibo hat mit der Qbo You-Rista eine Espressomaschine angekündigt, die nach dem Kapselsystem funktioniert und über Smartphones und die Apple Watch ferngesteuert werden kann. Sogar Wassermenge, Milch und Milchschaum lassen sich auf dem Mobilgerät einstellen und speichern. (Hausautomation, Technologie) 
Tchibo hat mit der Qbo You-Rista eine Espressomaschine angekündigt, die nach dem Kapselsystem funktioniert und über Smartphones und die Apple Watch ferngesteuert werden kann. Sogar Wassermenge, Milch und Milchschaum lassen sich auf dem Mobilgerät einstellen und speichern. (Hausautomation, Technologie) Android N’s multi-window multitasking mode is a very promising start
You’ll find a pretty satisfying version of the concept under all the early bugs.
Andrew Cunningham
Here's Android N's multi-window mode on a Nexus 9 running the first Android N preview. Note how the normally square recent apps navigation button turns into two rectangles in multi-window mode.
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Google has dropped an early version of the Android N preview months before Google I/O, which is when we first saw the Android M preview build last year. Developer images for most recent Nexus devices went up on Google's site today, and we've already got them running on some phones and tablets and we're digging in.
The most significant new feature, at least if you're still holding out hope for Android tablets, is a multi-window multitasking mode not unlike the ones in iOS 9, Samsung's version of Android, or Windows 8 and 10. It's come a long way since we saw the janky, hidden, mostly broken version of it included in early Marshmallow previews. It's about as buggy and crash-prone as you'd expect from an early build of an upcoming OS, but underneath those bugs is a multitasking UI that's actually pretty elegant, and it offers some nice improvements over the Split View mode introduced in iOS 9.
Understanding the basics
Android is iOS-like in that it seems to designate a "primary" and "secondary" app—we'll use these terms to specify which app we're talking about during this explainer. The primary app, chosen when you turn on multitasking mode, is on the left or the top half of the screen and is more-or-less pinned to that section of the screen. The secondary app, selected from the Recent Apps list or home screen once you've fired up multitasking mode, is on the right side of the screen and is easily switchable.
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VW’s US chief resigns, regulator raises doubts that diesels can be fixed
More drama in the emissions scandal that’s rocked one of the largest automakers.
(credit: Erik B)
On Wednesday afternoon, Volkswagen Group said that the head of the US branch of the company, Michael Horn, will be stepping down to "pursue other opportunities immediately,” according to the Wall Street Journal.
Horn led Volkswagen’s US operations since January 2014, and his departure comes as VW Group is under extreme scrutiny for building its cars with "defeat devices,” or software on the car’s engine management system that disables the car’s emissions control system when its driving under normal conditions, but which enables the emissions control system when the car has to pass laboratory testing.
Volkswagen said Horn’s resignation decision was reached in "mutual agreement.” Hinrich J. Woebcken, a Volkswagen Group chairman and the head of VW’s North America operations, will lead the US division in the interim.
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John McAfee tells Ars he’s fighting a lonely battle, but he’s not lying
The dangers of government overreach are real—and he just wants you to see them.
McAfee on McAfee, from this Youtube video. (credit: John McAfee)
Security software entrepreneur turned gonzo cyber-prophet John McAfee is sticking to his contention that he could crack San Bernardino mass shooter Sayed Farook's iPhone 5c—though there are a few caveats. In an interview with Ars today, McAfee laughed off a report from the Daily Dot that claimed McAfee lied about the ability to crack the phone, instead explaining that he was dumbing things down in his interview with Russia Today for "people uneducated in technology."
In a candid conversation with Ars, McAfee expressed frustration and exhaustion over trying to educate the masses about the dangers of allowing governments to undermine encryption—and the beating he's been taking for his crusade.
"Ars Technica has probably trashed me more than any other publication," he said. "I don't fault you for it, because I'm not speaking to you guys—you guys don't need to be educated. I'm talking to the masses of America and trying to get them to understand the massive cliff we're all teetering on." With a laugh, he added, "If I look like an idiot, that's because I'm talking to idiots, so cut me some slack."
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Raspberry Pi 3 is hot… or hotter than the Raspberry Pi 2
The new Raspberry Pi 3 single-board computer is the same size and price as last year’s Raspberry Pi 2. But the new model has an updated processor which is said to offer a 60-percent performance boost over the older model. Unfortunately, with more power comes… more heat. While that might not be a problem for […]
Raspberry Pi 3 is hot… or hotter than the Raspberry Pi 2 is a post from: Liliputing
The new Raspberry Pi 3 single-board computer is the same size and price as last year’s Raspberry Pi 2. But the new model has an updated processor which is said to offer a 60-percent performance boost over the older model. Unfortunately, with more power comes… more heat. While that might not be a problem for […]
Raspberry Pi 3 is hot… or hotter than the Raspberry Pi 2 is a post from: Liliputing
Australian Anti-Piracy Campaign Won’t Target Hardcore Pirates
The body responsible for deterring Australians from engaging in Internet piracy has rebranded with a some new blood at the top. The IP Awareness Foundation is now known as Creative Content Australia and has recruited Village Roadshow co-chief Graham Burke as Chairman. A new anti-piracy push is reportedly on the horizon, but hardcore pirates won’t be targets.
Source: TF, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, torrent sites and ANONYMOUS VPN services.
The IP Awareness Foundation (IPAF) is one of Australia’s key anti-piracy groups and has some serious heavyweight backing. Supporters include the Motion Picture Association, which counts all of the major Hollywood studios as members. That alone is enough to shape anti-piracy policy Down Under.
IPAF has produced a number of reports over the years, most recently one which concluded that piracy is actually decreasing in Australia.
But while progress is certainly being made, IPAF is already planning the next stages of its campaign and that begins today with a rebranding exercise and the placement of new management figures.
“The IP Awareness Foundation, the film and television industries’ peak body for the
promotion of copyright, creative rights, piracy research and education resources, has rebranded as ‘Creative Content Australia’,” the group announced.
In addition to adopting a softer and more consumer-friendly name, Creative Content has also made three new appointments, each of them heavyweights in their own field.
First up is Graham Burke, Co-Executive Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer of movie outfit Village Roadshow. Burke, who is perhaps the most outspoken individual in Australia on the issue of Internet piracy, will take on the position of Chairman.
Also jumping on board are Damian Keogh, CEO of Hoyts Group, a cinema giant operating 400 screens across Australia plus DVD and Blu-ray rental machines in 650 locations. He will be joined by Jo Bladen from Walt Disney Studios.
“The aim of our organization has always been to contribute to a more informed debate about legal access to film and television content,” says Creative Content Australia’s Executive Director Lori Flekser.
“Graham, Damian and Jo, along with our existing board members, are passionate about promoting the value of copyright. They are invaluable advocates of Creative Content Australia’s research, educational resources and consumer awareness campaigns. While we are starting to see a change in attitude towards piracy, there is still much work to be done.”
The adoption of the word ‘creative’ mirrors similar initiatives in both the United States and United Kingdom, where aggressive anti-piracy rhetoric targeting the consumer is slowly being replaced by softer tones which place more emphasis on supporting artists and other creators.
Incoming Chair Graham Burke says that changing the way the industry offers content will help that process to develop.
“[Our] research finds that Australians say they are now much more aware that the industry is increasingly making more movies and TV shows available in a timely and affordable way, and I’m looking forward to seeing Creative Content Australia produce new consumer campaigns to highlight the benefits of accessing content legally, as opposed to the great damage caused to our creative industry by piracy,” Burke says.
But despite the softer tones, it might prove difficult for Burke to completely abandon his previously aggressive stance. He has a core belief that pirates need to be held accountable and that pirating individuals are responsible for fueling crime. Indeed, comments to Forbes suggest that he still holds that belief, but that education rather than punishment might be the way forward.
“Some people have not considered that piracy is just plain wrong but when they understand it is not a victimless crime and other people will lose their jobs, they stop,” he said.
“Additionally these people are not aware they are part of a criminal underbelly with sites that carry advertising for gambling with no age limit, party drugs, hard core pornography and prostitution, as well as exposing themselves to nasty viruses.”
It seems the campaign to begin educating the masses could start as early as this summer but interestingly (and in common with campaigns in the US and UK) not much time will be spent on hardcore pirates.
“We are working out who to target: vulnerable people who are dipping in and out of piracy, those who are on the edge, or people who can’t resist the urge to get something for nothing,” says Creative Content Australia executive director Lori Flekser.
“We won’t target persistent pirates because only punishment or the threat of punishment will rein them in. This will be our most far reaching campaign. Graham has garnered enormous industry support to ensure the campaign plays out on the widest possible level.”
Only time will tell how the campaign will shape up but one thing is guaranteed. The entertainment industries – movies companies in particular – need to step up their game. The belief among Australians that they are being treated as second-class consumers on the world stage has not gone away and cracking down on their Netflix habits won’t help that perception.
Source: TF, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, torrent sites and ANONYMOUS VPN services.
Google joins Facebook’s Open Compute Project, will donate rack design
Google pulls back the curtain from some of its data center equipment.
A Google data center in Douglas County, Georgia. (credit: Google)
Google today said it has joined the Open Compute Project (OCP), and the company will donate a specification for a rack that it designed for its own data centers.
Facebook founded the Open Compute Project in 2011 to share designs of servers and other data center equipment. Many companies, including Microsoft, have joined the project and contributed their hardware designs. While Google has been building its own hardware for years, it hasn't joined the project until now.
Google's first contribution will be "a new rack specification that includes 48V power distribution and a new form factor to allow OCP racks to fit into our data centers," the company said. Google will also be participating in this week's Open Compute Summit.
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Supreme Court won’t tinker with ruling giving copyright to the Batmobile
The Batmobile is for Batman and Robin, unless you get a license from DC Comics.
(credit: Chad Horwedel)
The US Supreme Court is letting stand a lower court ruling that the Batmobile is protected by copyright. The high court's move is a blow to Gotham Garage, the maker of Batmobile replica modification kits, and it means car tinkerers must get a license from DC Comics to sell vehicles that look like the one driven by Batman and Robin.
The court did not comment when rejecting (PDF) Gotham Garage's petition (PDF) for the court to hear its case. In September, a federal appeals court sided with DC Comics' suit against Gotham Garage.
"As Batman so sagely told Robin, 'In our well-ordered society, protection of private property is essential,'" the San Francisco-based 9th US Court of Appeals concluded (PDF). That wasn't the first time a Hollywood car was assigned copyright. The vehicle "Eleanor" from Gone in 60 Seconds prevailed in an IP court battle.
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