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Sunday 10 July 2011

Private profiles not allowed on Google+


Profiles on Google+ have to be public, and only by individuals.
The new social network, Google+, has given users time till the end of July, to make their profiles public, or they will be deleted.

According to the Google+ FAQs, "nearly all Google Profiles are public", and the aim of these profiles is to manage a public identity.

It says: "Private profiles don't allow this, so we have decided to require all profiles to be public." It adds that full name and gender are the only two items that have to be visible on the public profile, while other items can be hidden from public view if needed.

"If you currently have a private profile but you do not wish to make your profile public, you can delete your profile. Or, you can simply do nothing. All private profiles will be deleted after July 31, 2011," according to the website.

In addition, it has been reported that profiles created by and for businesses are being removed from the networking site, as Google is aiming Google+ solely at individuals.

Google+ is now open to anyone with a Google account, and at a recent press conference, Eric Schmidt, executive chairman, Google, said he would "love to have deeper integration with Twitter and Facebook." Techies will recall that Google real time search no longer includes tweets as the deal fell through.

Saturday 9 July 2011

PS4 release date coming 2012 with Kinect style gaming?

Sony PlayStation LogoA PS4 release date has been set as pre-Christmas 2012 as Sony prepares to begin production of the next-gen gamer this year
Sony is to begin production of the eagerly awaited PlayStation 4 console later this year ahead of 2012 release date, new reports have suggested.

Having unveiled the Sony PlayStation Vita at E3 last month, Sony is expected to officially unveil the PS4 at next year’s Los Angeles based industry showcase ahead of a pre-Christmas 2012 release with Microsoft Kinect styled movement-based gaming.


The reports which come courtesy of tech blog Digitimes suggest Taiwan-based technology manufacturers Foxconn and Peagtron Technology, both responsible for putting together the PS3, will begin work on the fourth generation PlayStation console later this year in order to meet the 20 million unit stock demand of a 2012 launch.

These latest PS4 release date reports come after it was suggested Microsoft was planned an E3 2012 unveiling for the mooted Xbox 720 sparking rumours that the two giants of the gaming market could go head-to-head next year.

Zumba Fitness tops UK All Format Gaming Charts again

ZumbaZumba Fitness continues its dominance at the top of the UK gaming charts
505 Games' Zumba Fitness remains top of the UK's All Format games charts, having managed to outsell its four closest competitors combined.

This is the sixth time that the title has been top of the UK gaming charts since its release in November 2010 and it remains way out in front of its nearest rivals.


Lego Pirates of the Caribbean has had a strong week, jumping up to second place to push L.A.Noire and F.E.A.R. 3 down into third and fourth respectively. Meanwhile the second week of the Wimbledon Championships has inspired further sales for Top Spin 4 and Virtua Tennis 4, the latter of which moved up fifteen places to round out this weeks Top 5.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon has jumped up into sixth position, no doubt as a result of the huge advertising campaign behind the forthcoming blockbuster. DiRT 3 has been pushed down into seventh, with Top Spin 4, Brink and FIFA 11 making up the rest of this week's top 10.

Of this week's new releases, only two made the top 40 and both failed to make the top 20 chart. Capcom's Resident Evil Mercenaries reached second position in the 3DS chart but fell just outside the All Format chart in 21st position, whilst THQ's UFC personal trainer was a place below in 22nd spot.

Twitter hack sees Fox News declare 'Obama is dead'

Fox News Twitter HackFox News' Twitter feed has been hacked it an attack that has declared "President Barack Obama is dead"
Hackers have taken control of a Twitter account run by US news outlet Fox News using the reputable social media source to falsely declare US President Barack Obama had been assassinated.

Twitter feed @FoxNewsPolitics was hacked in the early hours of this morning with hackers looking to mar America’s Independence Day celebrations with rumours that Barack Obama has been shot dead.


The first tweet, which was placed by the hackers at 7:14am GMT, read: "@BarackObama has just passed. The President is dead. A sad 4th of July, indeed. President Barack Obama is dead.”

Four further tweets sent over a seven minute period looked to detail how Obama had been shot twice whilst dining at Ross’ restaurant in Iowa with gunshot wounds to the lower pelvic area and neck causing the President to bleed to death. Looking to spread the news past the single Twitter feed the hackers posted a message which read: “#ObamaDead, it's a sad 4th of July. RT to support the late president's family, and RIP. The shooter will be found.”

Whilst the tweets have yet to be removed suggesting hackers still have control of the account the last message posted to the news outlet came at 7:29am GMT reading: “We wish @joebiden the best of luck as our new President of the United States. In such a time of madness, there's light at the end of tunnel.”

In an official release Vice President and General Manager of Fox News Digital Jeff Misenti announced: "We will be requesting a detailed investigation from Twitter about how this occurred, and measures to prevent future unauthorized access into FoxNews.com accounts."

The latest in an ongoing series of high-profile hack attacks, the Fox News Twitter feed appears to have been targeted by a group referring to themselves as The Script Kiddies with a number of tweets appearing from an account by that name before being quickly suspended.

"More than anything this act of sabotage demonstrates the power of Twitter not just to inform but to misinform on a massive scale if infiltrated by rogue elements,” said Mike Essex of digital marketing and social media specialists Koozai on the attacks.

He added: “With the likes of LulzSec and Anonymous focusing so heavily on hacking big brands, it’s worth noting these same big brands are also present on Twitter, where they can be manipulated to say anything the hacker wishes.
 
 
"People automatically trust these big name Twitter accounts, especially those that are ‘verified’ such as @Foxnewspolitics, giving their tweets decidedly more gravitas."

New MacBook Air: speedier hard drives planned

MacBook AirMove comes less than a year after Apple plumped for high-speed Toshiba SSDs.
Apple’s new MacBook Air will come with new, lightning fast solid state drives. That’s the word from fan site Macotokara, which has been speaking with a source at, “…an Asian electronics component company,” about the plans.


The new SSD will run at a mind-blowing 400MBps and will be smaller than the current version, supplied by Samsung. Toshiba built the first run of SSDs for 2010’s pared down line of MacBook Airs.

What’s more, the hard drive will be soldered onto the base circuit of the new MacBook Air, making it even harder for users to upgrade or change it if they want to. Thunderbolt connectivity and Intel’s newest processors are expected to join the new hard drive under the hood of the updated machine.

When will the new Air be on shelves? It seems Apple is happy to keep users waiting, with multiple sources claiming it won’t be released until Mac OS X Lion is also available. Expect that at the end of July or beginning of August.

Toshiba unveils world's first glasses-free 3D laptop

Toshiba Qosmio F750 3DToshiba's new Qosmio F750 3D machine has become the world's first glasses-free 3D laptop
Toshiba has today removed the need for 3D specs in unveiling the world’s first glasses-free 3D laptop, the Toshiba Qosmio F750 3D.

Much like the world’s first 3DTV, the Toshiba REGZA GL1, the company’s newly unveiled glasses-free 3D laptop boasts a special lenticular 3D display allowing users to enjoy extra dimensional content without the restrictive nature of 3D specs. For more on the world's first glasses-free 3D laptop check out Toshiba Qosmio F750 3D review: Hands-on.


Capable of displaying a number of 2D and 3D images simultaneously, the Toshiba Qosmio F750 3D’s display offers more than an extra dimensional party piece with the 15.6-inch screen capable of presenting Full HD content at 1080p.

Powered by an Intel Core i7 processor and packing 2GB of NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M graphics, the Qosmio F750 3D will sport a HD web cam with eye tracking technology, a 640GB HDD and Microsoft’s Windows 7 Home Premium OS when it launched in the UK this August for a yet undisclosed price.

The Qosmio’s impressive spec sheet is further bolstered by the inclusion of three USB 2.0 ports and a single USB 3.0 connector, inbuilt Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, multi-card reader, HMDI port and Harman Kardon stereo speakers.

FIFA named 'Best video game series of all time'

FIFA 12, Wayne, Rooney, Manchester, UnitedA study of gaming enthusiasts reveals that FIFA is the 'best game series of all time' ahead of Final Fantasy, Super Mario Brothers and Call of Duty
FIFA has beaten the likes of Final Fantasy, Call of Duty, Super Mario Bros and Zelda to be named as the best video games series of all time.


The EA Sports football franchise which has been in the gaming consciousness since FIFA International Soccer way back in 1993, was picked in a study carried out by new gaming website www.Playr2.com

Talking to 1,862 gamers aged eighteen and over about their attitudes to video games, FIFA was named number one with 72% of the vote. Final Fantasy (%67) and Super Mario Brothers (%61) make up the top three.

With a FIFA 12 UK release date confirmed for September 30th, fans of the series can look forward to a new impact engine feature and extra teams for those who pre-order their copy of FIFA 12.

You can see the rest of the rundown of the best video games series of all time below:

1) FIFA – 72%
2) Final Fantasy - 67%
3) Super Mario Brothers – 61%
4) Sonic the Hedgehog- 55%
5) Zelda – 51%
6) Resident Evil – 49%
7) Call of Duty- 41%
8) Grand Theft Auto- 38%
9) Tomb Raider- 37%
10) Tony Hawk Pro Skater- 25%