The 404 1,068: Where it's a small world (podcast)
The time has come for every Internet denizen to take a stand against the worst atrocity (and probably the biggestproblem) on the Web: vertical videos. Big thanks to the puppets in this PSA spreading the word about Vertical Video Syndrome.You can blame Flip video cameras, the ubiquity of videos shot with an iPhone, or just the tech-ignorance masses, but it has to stop. With the help of Ariel, Richard, and Joseph on today's episode, we all hope to put an end to the vertical video travesty.LinkedIn has a bad case of the Wednesdays with two separate vulnerabilities that expose its users' sensitive information. Yesterday, a security firm discovered that the iOS app was sharing personal calendar information of users that opted to access their personal calendars within the app, and now we're learning that 6.5 million user accounts and passwords were compromised.So what should you do if you're one of the accounts breached? Luckily the answer is simple: just change your password and don't choose a word that exists in the dictionary. Instead, make it a mix of number and letters that's at least six characters or longer, and maybe even change it on a monthly basis just in case. And Joseph volunteers his zipped-lip services if you want to send us an e-mail with all your collected passwords.Bathroom break video: Pine-Sol PrankedThis content is rated TV-MA, and is for viewers 18 years or older. Are you of age?YesNoSorry, you are not old enough to view this content.PlayEpisode 1,068PodcastYour browser does not support the audio element. Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video  Follow us on Twitter!The 404Jeff BakalarJustin YuAdd us on Facebook!The 404 Fan PageThe 404 GroupJustin YuJeff Bakalar
Japanese game developers making googly eyes at iPhone
Japanese game developers making googly eyes at iPhone
CasualGaming.biz reported Thursday on a survey conducted by Japanese middleware developer CRI. The survey polled 102 Japanese game developers (individuals, not companies). Eighteen percent of those surveyed had already released games on the platform, while 16 percent were currently working on titles. Another 87 percent said they were interested in developing for the iPhone and iPod Touch. As for the business reasons respondents cited for developing on the platform, 64.7 percent said the capability to release simultaneously in more than 80 countries was most appealing. Also, 55.9 percent said it was the size of the market, and 42.2 percent chose the ease of purchasing from iTunes as the best reason to develop on iPhone. From a development perspective, the responses were decidedly different. The iPhone's portability and its touch screen were most appealing from a development standpoint, with 71.6 percent of respondents choosing each as the No. 1 reason. Also, 55.9 percent said it was the phone's multitouch capability. With news like this, as well as Capcom's plans to launch more than 10 new iPhone games in 2009, it's no wonder Nintendo chief, Satoru Iwata, is starting to acknowledge the iPhone as a possible threat to the DS.According to a story on Kotaku, Iwata recently stated "I do not imagine that iPhone will dominate the Nintendo DS market at once. My impression as the person who has used iPhone is, it is very attractive but, frankly, I did not feel that it was designed to be appreciated by a wide variety of people like how Nintendo has been designing its products."Yes, the iPhone definitely does not have mass market potential /sarcasm.
CasualGaming.biz reported Thursday on a survey conducted by Japanese middleware developer CRI. The survey polled 102 Japanese game developers (individuals, not companies). Eighteen percent of those surveyed had already released games on the platform, while 16 percent were currently working on titles. Another 87 percent said they were interested in developing for the iPhone and iPod Touch. As for the business reasons respondents cited for developing on the platform, 64.7 percent said the capability to release simultaneously in more than 80 countries was most appealing. Also, 55.9 percent said it was the size of the market, and 42.2 percent chose the ease of purchasing from iTunes as the best reason to develop on iPhone. From a development perspective, the responses were decidedly different. The iPhone's portability and its touch screen were most appealing from a development standpoint, with 71.6 percent of respondents choosing each as the No. 1 reason. Also, 55.9 percent said it was the phone's multitouch capability. With news like this, as well as Capcom's plans to launch more than 10 new iPhone games in 2009, it's no wonder Nintendo chief, Satoru Iwata, is starting to acknowledge the iPhone as a possible threat to the DS.According to a story on Kotaku, Iwata recently stated "I do not imagine that iPhone will dominate the Nintendo DS market at once. My impression as the person who has used iPhone is, it is very attractive but, frankly, I did not feel that it was designed to be appreciated by a wide variety of people like how Nintendo has been designing its products."Yes, the iPhone definitely does not have mass market potential /sarcasm.
Apple's iPad favored among vast majority of would-be tablet buyers
Apple's iPad favored among vast majority of would-be tablet buyers
Apple's iPad is so popular that it will be just about the only tablet consumers are looking to buy this summer, according to new data from ChangeWave Research.The research firm today revealed the results of a survey of nearly 2,900 consumers, finding that 73 percent of those who expect to buy a tablet in the next 90 days are planning to go with the iPad. Just 8 percent of respondents said that they will be buying the Amazon Kindle Fire in that period. Samsung's Galaxy Tab followed with interest from 6 percent of respondents. No other vendor was able to hit more than 3 percent.The big surprise from ChangeWave's study, however, might be the Kindle Fire's fall from grace in the tablet market. When the tablet launched late last year, 22 percent of respondents in a prior ChangeWave study indicated that they planned to buy the Kindle Fire. That figure dropped to 7 percent in March before rising to 8 percent this time around.The issue for the Kindle Fire might be its satisfaction rating among owners. Back in February, ChangeWave released another study that found that just 54 percent of Kindle Fire owners were "very satisfied" with the tablet. Although that was higher than the average non-Apple device, which tallied just 49 percent satisfaction, it was far below the iPad's 74 percent rating."Kindle Fire planned buying is now down two-thirds since November 2011, and a clue to Amazon's problem can be seen in the tablet satisfaction ratings of its owners," ChangeWave said today in a statement accompanying its research.To make matters worse, Apple is rumored to be planning to take the Kindle Fire on with a 7-inch iPad Mini that could be closer in price to Amazon's option. If that happens, there's no telling how demand for the Kindle Fire might be impacted.Related video:This content is rated TV-MA, and is for viewers 18 years or older. Are you of age?YesNoSorry, you are not old enough to view this content.Play
Apple's iPad is so popular that it will be just about the only tablet consumers are looking to buy this summer, according to new data from ChangeWave Research.The research firm today revealed the results of a survey of nearly 2,900 consumers, finding that 73 percent of those who expect to buy a tablet in the next 90 days are planning to go with the iPad. Just 8 percent of respondents said that they will be buying the Amazon Kindle Fire in that period. Samsung's Galaxy Tab followed with interest from 6 percent of respondents. No other vendor was able to hit more than 3 percent.The big surprise from ChangeWave's study, however, might be the Kindle Fire's fall from grace in the tablet market. When the tablet launched late last year, 22 percent of respondents in a prior ChangeWave study indicated that they planned to buy the Kindle Fire. That figure dropped to 7 percent in March before rising to 8 percent this time around.The issue for the Kindle Fire might be its satisfaction rating among owners. Back in February, ChangeWave released another study that found that just 54 percent of Kindle Fire owners were "very satisfied" with the tablet. Although that was higher than the average non-Apple device, which tallied just 49 percent satisfaction, it was far below the iPad's 74 percent rating."Kindle Fire planned buying is now down two-thirds since November 2011, and a clue to Amazon's problem can be seen in the tablet satisfaction ratings of its owners," ChangeWave said today in a statement accompanying its research.To make matters worse, Apple is rumored to be planning to take the Kindle Fire on with a 7-inch iPad Mini that could be closer in price to Amazon's option. If that happens, there's no telling how demand for the Kindle Fire might be impacted.Related video:This content is rated TV-MA, and is for viewers 18 years or older. Are you of age?YesNoSorry, you are not old enough to view this content.Play
Apple's iPad- Disruptive product of the year
Apple's iPad: Disruptive product of the year
Beyond the iPad's well-chronicled popularity, impressive shipment numbers, and reported theft of Netbook market share, the disruption for me was very personal: it played havoc with my own computing habits and with people around me who bought the iPad. As I've written before, initially, I could do little more than paw at the screen in a vain effort to figure out how I was actually going to use the device.But that changed fairly quickly.Within a few weeks, I found myself taking it everywhere (I have the 3G version) and using it instead of my laptop at airports, on planes, and in the car.Not to mention using it at home when relaxing on the sofa. So, here's why it's disruptive: I always thought that my MacBook Air was the ultimate portable computer and I would never need anything else. Wrong.It turns out that a laptop--because of its relative weight and keyboard-centric clamshell design--is not always the ultimate machine when traveling or when there is a need to some quick home computing.The iPad showed me that there is a better form factor and interface (touch) for a surprising number of tasks.And that seemingly trivial feature known as instant-on (and almost-instant 3G connections) combined with its 1.5-pound weight makes all the difference in the world. In short, when I go from using my laptop most of the time to only about half of the time, that's disruptive.Moreover, I think, it's safe to say that I'm not alone.Finally, I'm anticipating the next iPad (thinner, lighter, dual-core processor?) like I would previously anticipate a new laptop. And can't wait to see what first-tier companies like Motorola and RIM have to offer.May 2011 be the year of the tablet.
Beyond the iPad's well-chronicled popularity, impressive shipment numbers, and reported theft of Netbook market share, the disruption for me was very personal: it played havoc with my own computing habits and with people around me who bought the iPad. As I've written before, initially, I could do little more than paw at the screen in a vain effort to figure out how I was actually going to use the device.But that changed fairly quickly.Within a few weeks, I found myself taking it everywhere (I have the 3G version) and using it instead of my laptop at airports, on planes, and in the car.Not to mention using it at home when relaxing on the sofa. So, here's why it's disruptive: I always thought that my MacBook Air was the ultimate portable computer and I would never need anything else. Wrong.It turns out that a laptop--because of its relative weight and keyboard-centric clamshell design--is not always the ultimate machine when traveling or when there is a need to some quick home computing.The iPad showed me that there is a better form factor and interface (touch) for a surprising number of tasks.And that seemingly trivial feature known as instant-on (and almost-instant 3G connections) combined with its 1.5-pound weight makes all the difference in the world. In short, when I go from using my laptop most of the time to only about half of the time, that's disruptive.Moreover, I think, it's safe to say that I'm not alone.Finally, I'm anticipating the next iPad (thinner, lighter, dual-core processor?) like I would previously anticipate a new laptop. And can't wait to see what first-tier companies like Motorola and RIM have to offer.May 2011 be the year of the tablet.
Apple's iPad costs you $1.36 per year to charge
Apple's iPad costs you $1.36 per year to charge
Apple's iPad costs precious little for you to charge it each year, according to a new study.The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) conducted a study recently to see how much the iPad costs in electricity if users fully charge it every other day. The research agency, which is funded by electric power companies, found that the iPad will cost owners $1.36 a year, thanks to its consumption of just 12 kWh of electricity each year.The EPRI assumed that there are now 67 million iPads in the world and applied the average energy use to each device to arrive at a total of 590 gigawatt hours of overall usage. In the event the number of iPads worldwide triples over the next two years, the energy required to power the devices would equal two 250-megawatt power plants operating at 50 percent utilization, according to EPRI. A quadrupling in sales would require three plants.The crux of EPRI's findings, however, rests in the impact the iPad might be having on overall usage. Although it's consuming power, more and more people are using the device for gaming, video consumption, and Web browsing, effectively taking the power load away from higher-consuming products."These results raise important questions about how the shifting reliance from desktop to laptop to mobile devices will change energy use and electricity requirements for the information age," Mark McGranaghan, vice president of power delivery and utilization at EPRI, said in a statement. "At less than a penny per charge these findings bring new meaning to the adage, 'A penny for your thoughts.'"EPRI stopped short of saying that devices like the iPad and other tablets will help conserve power, since it's hard to predict consumer actions. However, the organization did note that laptops consume about 72.3 kWh of electricity each year, costing folks $8.31. A 42-inch plasma television consumes an average of 258 kWh each year.
Apple's iPad costs precious little for you to charge it each year, according to a new study.The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) conducted a study recently to see how much the iPad costs in electricity if users fully charge it every other day. The research agency, which is funded by electric power companies, found that the iPad will cost owners $1.36 a year, thanks to its consumption of just 12 kWh of electricity each year.The EPRI assumed that there are now 67 million iPads in the world and applied the average energy use to each device to arrive at a total of 590 gigawatt hours of overall usage. In the event the number of iPads worldwide triples over the next two years, the energy required to power the devices would equal two 250-megawatt power plants operating at 50 percent utilization, according to EPRI. A quadrupling in sales would require three plants.The crux of EPRI's findings, however, rests in the impact the iPad might be having on overall usage. Although it's consuming power, more and more people are using the device for gaming, video consumption, and Web browsing, effectively taking the power load away from higher-consuming products."These results raise important questions about how the shifting reliance from desktop to laptop to mobile devices will change energy use and electricity requirements for the information age," Mark McGranaghan, vice president of power delivery and utilization at EPRI, said in a statement. "At less than a penny per charge these findings bring new meaning to the adage, 'A penny for your thoughts.'"EPRI stopped short of saying that devices like the iPad and other tablets will help conserve power, since it's hard to predict consumer actions. However, the organization did note that laptops consume about 72.3 kWh of electricity each year, costing folks $8.31. A 42-inch plasma television consumes an average of 258 kWh each year.
Apple's iPad Air sold out in Hong Kong, still available elsewhere
Apple's iPad Air sold out in Hong Kong, still available elsewhere
Apple's latest iPad hits stores on Friday, which has already arrived in some parts of the world.That includes Hong Kong, where the device has sold out online -- about two hours after it became available for sale. Before that, new orders faced estimated one- to two-week delivery times. That hasn't been the case in some other countries where the new tablet is available, including Australia, which is three hours ahead of Hong Kong and still listing 24-hour ship times for new buyers. The same goes for Japan, Singapore, and mainland China where the tablets also went up for sale.As usual, it's unclear exactly how much stock Apple has, though the scale of the launch in 42 countries and the fact that it's about a week and a half after the device's unveiling, suggests the company is comfortable with what it has. The same cannot be said for the Retina Display model of the iPad Mini, which Apple has only said will ship sometime in November. Online sales in the US kick off at midnight, with the company's retail stores opening up at 8 a.m. local time. The company's carrier and retail partners are also selling the tablet, including Target which may have inadvertently let loose the ship time for the new iPad Mini last night.You can read CNET's review of the iPad Air right here.(Via 9to5Mac) This content is rated TV-MA, and is for viewers 18 years or older. Are you of age?YesNoSorry, you are not old enough to view this content.Play
Apple's latest iPad hits stores on Friday, which has already arrived in some parts of the world.That includes Hong Kong, where the device has sold out online -- about two hours after it became available for sale. Before that, new orders faced estimated one- to two-week delivery times. That hasn't been the case in some other countries where the new tablet is available, including Australia, which is three hours ahead of Hong Kong and still listing 24-hour ship times for new buyers. The same goes for Japan, Singapore, and mainland China where the tablets also went up for sale.As usual, it's unclear exactly how much stock Apple has, though the scale of the launch in 42 countries and the fact that it's about a week and a half after the device's unveiling, suggests the company is comfortable with what it has. The same cannot be said for the Retina Display model of the iPad Mini, which Apple has only said will ship sometime in November. Online sales in the US kick off at midnight, with the company's retail stores opening up at 8 a.m. local time. The company's carrier and retail partners are also selling the tablet, including Target which may have inadvertently let loose the ship time for the new iPad Mini last night.You can read CNET's review of the iPad Air right here.(Via 9to5Mac) This content is rated TV-MA, and is for viewers 18 years or older. Are you of age?YesNoSorry, you are not old enough to view this content.Play
Apple's iPad Air 2 on preorder at Walmart for $489
Apple's iPad Air 2 on preorder at Walmart for $489
A day after Apple unveiled its two new tablets, Walmart is shaving down prices. The retail giant told CNET on Friday that it's offering the iPad Air 2 for $489 and the iPad Mini 3 for $389. Apple's prices are $499 for the Air 2 and $399 for the Mini 3.Apple unveiled the iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3 on Thursday. The Air 2 comes with a 9.7-inch Retina display, Touch ID support and a thinner body than those of its predecessors. As for the Mini 3, there wasn't much of an update, just the addition of Touch ID and a new gold version.Related StoriesWhy you'll be paying $100 more for the iPad Air 2iPad Air 2, iMac Retina 5K, iPad Mini 3 and more: Here's everything Apple announcedApple Store goes down in preparation for iPad Air 2 preordersThe iPad secret Apple didn't announce todayApple began preorders for the tablets early Friday morning -- causing its online store to temporarily go down. Walmart also commenced preorders for the iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3 on Friday; however, preorders are available only in brick-and-mortar stores today and then will be available online at Walmart.com on Saturday. Shipments will begin next Friday.Walmart is offering deals on the iPad Mini original as well -- selling it for $239, which is $10 less than Apple's cost. Additionally, the retail store said it's offering double the value -- up to $200 -- to those customers who trade in their old iPad.The trade-in credit will be based on the condition of the tablet being swapped. This offer will be available only from October 24 to November 16.While Walmart is known for offering discounts for new iPhones, it's rare for the retailer to offer them on the iPad -- especially so soon after launch.
A day after Apple unveiled its two new tablets, Walmart is shaving down prices. The retail giant told CNET on Friday that it's offering the iPad Air 2 for $489 and the iPad Mini 3 for $389. Apple's prices are $499 for the Air 2 and $399 for the Mini 3.Apple unveiled the iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3 on Thursday. The Air 2 comes with a 9.7-inch Retina display, Touch ID support and a thinner body than those of its predecessors. As for the Mini 3, there wasn't much of an update, just the addition of Touch ID and a new gold version.Related StoriesWhy you'll be paying $100 more for the iPad Air 2iPad Air 2, iMac Retina 5K, iPad Mini 3 and more: Here's everything Apple announcedApple Store goes down in preparation for iPad Air 2 preordersThe iPad secret Apple didn't announce todayApple began preorders for the tablets early Friday morning -- causing its online store to temporarily go down. Walmart also commenced preorders for the iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3 on Friday; however, preorders are available only in brick-and-mortar stores today and then will be available online at Walmart.com on Saturday. Shipments will begin next Friday.Walmart is offering deals on the iPad Mini original as well -- selling it for $239, which is $10 less than Apple's cost. Additionally, the retail store said it's offering double the value -- up to $200 -- to those customers who trade in their old iPad.The trade-in credit will be based on the condition of the tablet being swapped. This offer will be available only from October 24 to November 16.While Walmart is known for offering discounts for new iPhones, it's rare for the retailer to offer them on the iPad -- especially so soon after launch.
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