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Xbox One controller vs. Xbox 360 controller, fight! | Engadget

Tim Stevens — Tue, 21 May 2013 18:37:00 -0500

"If it ain't broke don't fix it" is as useful a phrase as it is folksy, and though the Xbox One is a complete reinvention compared to the Xbox 360, the controller is in many ways little changed. It's a bit more rounded, a bit softer to the touch and features redesigned shoulder buttons with their own discrete rumble controllers. The D-Pad is revised, the analog sticks has more texture and the battery backpack is no longer quite as pronounced. In other words, we think it's going to be great. Check out our gallery of comparison shots in the gallery below!

Gallery: Xbox 360 vs. Xbox One controller

Filed under: Gaming, Microsoft

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Hands-on with prototypes of the Xbox One and new Kinect sensor | Engadget

Ben Gilbert — Tue, 21 May 2013 18:20:00 -0500

We gasped our way through the liveblog. We brought you news of the specs and the software and everything else. But now it's time time to take a deep dive into Microsoft's next-gen console and what it might mean for Earth's living room. Engadget was given exclusive access to the hallowed labs at the heart of this project and to the engineers who made it happen. We got to play with prototypes of the hardware and to discover first-hand whether Kinect 2.0 really can tell if we're winking. Read on past the break and we promise to spare you no detail.

Gallery: Xbox One (hands-on)

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Xbox One isn't backwards compatible with Xbox 360 discs or Xbox Live Arcade, Gamerscore transfers | Engadget

Ben Gilbert — Tue, 21 May 2013 18:20:00 -0500

It's true: the Xbox One will not play your Xbox 360 game discs, nor will your Xbox Live Arcade games transfer (not to mention any other content that's dependent on the 360's hardware architecture, anyhow). That Gamerscore you've been earning, though? That's gonna transfer. As will your Xbox Live Gamertag.

Sadly, due to the x86 architecture of the Xbox One, the PowerPC-based 360 titles simply won't run on the hardware. Microsoft's not super worried about consumer reaction, though, telling Engadget, "We care very much about the investment people have made in Xbox 360 and will continue to support it with a pipeline of new games and new apps well into the future," a Microsoft rep told us. That said, Xbox One is designed, "to play an entirely new generation of games -- games that are architected to take full advantage of state-of-the-art processors and the infinite power of the cloud."

We got a glimpse at some of those new games this afternoon, but we expect to see much more at E3 in a few weeks.

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Hands-on with LG's 5-inch flexible plastic OLED display at SID (video) | Engadget

Sarah Silbert — Tue, 21 May 2013 18:16:00 -0500

You can't blame us for rushing to see LG's flexible OLED HD panel here at SID. First announced earlier this week, the 5-inch display sports a plastic construction, which allows it to be both bendable and unbreakable. Most alluring of all, though, is LG's intimation that the screen tech will debut in a smartphone by the end of this year. Before we get lost in thoughts about a tricked-out Optimus G, let's take a look at this early prototype.

The panel is made of plastic substrates, which are both more flexible and cheaper to manufacture than their glass counterparts. In fact, cost-effectiveness seems to be the chief objective overall. Clumsy consumers will benefit as well -- in a smartphone, the glass above the screen could break, but the OLED panel would stay in tact, resulting in lower repair costs. At the company's booth, a demo area let attendees take a hammer to the standalone display and twist it every which way -- sure enough, it withstood these torture tests. In our hands, the 5-inch screen was lightweight and responsive to twists and bends; it felt like a slightly thicker film strip.

An LG rep told us the panel could sport a bigger or smaller size when it debuts in a smartphone later this year. And though the prototype on display here today was labeled merely as "HD," we're sure that resolution could be adjusted as well. For now, get an early look in our video after the break.

Gallery: LG 5-inch flexible plastic OLED display hands-on

Filed under: Cellphones, Displays, LG

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Building Xbox One: An inside look at Microsoft's play for the next generation of gaming | Engadget

Ben Gilbert — Tue, 21 May 2013 18:00:00 -0500

The engineers in Microsoft's windowless next-gen Xbox silicon lab are rattled. And understandably so. We're in their office, after all, and we have a mess of cameras in the one place you're not allowed to have cameras (or even cellphones). We're obviously outsiders on Microsoft's multi-building, security-heavy Mountain View campus, especially given our quartet of esteemed escorts: Todd Holmdahl, Ilan Spillinger, Nick Baker and Greg Williams. These four gentlemen are leading the charge on both Microsoft's next big thing and, perhaps more importantly, a major effort to internalize silicon architecture at the traditionally software-focused megacorp.

The skittish engineers aren't worried we'll film the mess of 24-inch LCD screens running video-compression tests, or the rows of desks with water hose stations used for temperature stress tests, or even the sea of circuit boards in various states of disrepair -- that's all standard for any Silicon Valley computer lab. It's really just a single chip that's causing concern: a custom-built Microsoft SoC that sits at the heart of the Xbox One. It's this SoC that has us in Mountain View, Calif. -- in Silicon Valley, literally down the road from Google -- a mere five days before Microsoft will unveil its next game console to the world. Over six hours last Friday, we learned not just about that SoC, but also how the company plans to utilize it in the new console. We spoke with its four lead hardware architects. We toured the labs where they are testing the silicon, and where the next-generation Kinect was born. What follows is more than a look behind the silicon that drives the next Xbox -- it's a deep dive into the changing approach Microsoft's taking to creating devices.

Gallery: Where the Xbox was built: An inside look at Microsoft's play for the next generation of gaming

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Call of Duty: Ghosts DLC will launch first on Xbox One | Engadget

Sean Buckley — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:56:00 -0500

Despite its multiplatform status, Call of Duty is almost synonymous with Xbox. It's no surprise then, that Microsoft's new platform, the Xbox One, will be the first next-gen system to digest Call of Duty: Ghosts' DLC. This isn't unprecedented, of course -- the Xbox 360 also boasted a first-out-the-door policy with the series' DLC. Still, a big score for Microsoft, one significant enough to serve as the closing announcement of its Xbox One launch event. Activision's publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg went on to reveal the game's first official trailer, assuring fans that Ghosts would fun at a steady 60fps. "It will be the best Call of Duty game we've ever made," he promised, showing slides comparing the new game's Xbox One visuals against previous games in the series. Hungry for more? Patience, friend. E3 is still a few weeks away.

Gallery: Call of Duty: Ghosts

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Microsoft lands NFL partnerships for Xbox One and the football field | Engadget

Jon Fingas — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:53:00 -0500

Microsoft is clearly determined to sew up some of the best content for the Xbox One: it just revealed a special, multi-year partnership with the NFL. The two are working on an optimized experience that better integrates fantasy football, including score displays, onscreen updates and Skype. They also promise exclusive content, naturally, including a lock on translating many of these experiences to tablets. The partnership will extend to the real arenas, too -- among other technologies, Microsoft will bring Surface tablets to coaches and players to improve their communication and play calling. There aren't many more details so far, but it's evident that Microsoft wants to cater to football fans with a lot more than just its existing ESPN app.

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Xbox OneGuide brings HDMI in/out, overlays for live TV | Engadget

Richard Lawler — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:51:00 -0500

Today Microsoft revealed the Xbox One, and confirmed rumors that its new game console is ready to take over as the heart of your home theater. The new box features HDMI in and out for passthrough with your cable or satellite box. It's even able to control connected devices with Kinect 2.0-detected voice and gesture commands thanks to IR blasters and HDMI-CEC. On stage, executives showed off the Xbox OneGuide, demonstrating a way to pull up information including trending programming or fantasy sports stats while watching live TV. There's also a live TV show for Halo in the works, and Microsoft brought NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on stage to talk about integration with the number one pro sports league. There's no word on exactly which cable, telco or satellite TV systems this will integrate with, but Microsoft's PR states "is committed to bringing live TV through various solutions to all the markets where Xbox One will be available" and mentions HDMI is required for the feature to work. It's supposed to be available at launch in the US, with "global scale" anticipated over time.

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Microsoft announces Halo live-action TV series created by 343 Industries and Steven Spielberg | Engadget

Michael Gorman — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:47:00 -0500

The Xbox One is a big deal for consoles, but Microsoft just made a massive content announcement at today's reveal event -- a live-action Halo TV series. As if the existence of such a television show weren't enough, it turns out that 343 Industries is teaming up with renowned moviemaker Steven Spielberg to bring the world of Master Chief to life in serial form. Spielberg will be the executive producer and the show will provide "exclusive interactive Xbox One content," whatever that means. Unfortunately, neither Microsoft nor Mr. Spielberg are telling when the show will actually be available for your eyeballs to view, but it is, most assuredly an actual thing. And just knowing that the follow up to Halo: Forward Unto Dawn is coming is enough, right?

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Xbox Studios will release 15 exclusive One titles in the first year, eight new franchises | Engadget

Billy Steele — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:45:00 -0500

A number of launch titles have been mentioned at the Xbox One reveal event, but Microsoft Studios announced that it has more titles in development now than ever before. In fact, 15 exclusive Xbox One titles will launch in its first year and eight of those are brand-new franchises. Of course, we're still not exactly sure when that countdown will be begin, but perhaps we'll catch a glimpse of the software goods in a few days at E3.

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Max Payne creator Remedy Games crafting 'Quantum Break' for Xbox One | Engadget

Ben Gilbert — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:41:00 -0500

The folks behind such games as the original Max Payne and Alan Wake are crafting a next-gen experience for the Xbox One in "Quantum Break." The tease video we saw showed a young girl, in real life, with her parents -- she apparently sees through time, and is able to convey what she sees, as she places a hand on her mother which shows her a massive war ship crashing through a bridge. We're then taken to an office building lobby being shot up. It's ... not clear at all what all this has to do with anything, but there you have it. We'll have more details as soon as possible.

Gallery: 'Quantum Break' for Xbox One

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Forza Motorsport 5 coming to Xbox One at launch (update: video) | Engadget

Alexis Santos — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:40:00 -0500

Phil Spencer just hopped on stage at Microsoft's Xbox Reveal event and has just unveiled Forza Motorsport 5 for the Xbox One. While there's no firm launch date for the console just yet, the next-gen racing title will arrive on launch day when Redmond's next gaming box arrives later this year. ~~Microsoft hasn't published the eye candy-filled trailer it just played up on stage, but you can be sure we'll update here when it does.~~

Update: Our fine friends over at Joystiq have gotten ahold of the trailer, which we've slotted in past the break.

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Xbox One SmartGlass brings more control, content to companion devices | Engadget

Richard Lawler — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:00 -0500

Microsoft's Xbox One is promising even more second screen support than we saw on the Xbox 360. An improvement of the SmartGlass integration we've seen pop up on the Xbox 360, Microsoft says it can make your mobile device feel like it was "built" to work with your console. The current SmartGlass app has seen over 10 million downloads, and it looks like Microsoft is aiming for more this time around. It will also be able to screen scrape video, encode it to h.264 and send it over to your second screen, although what will work on which devices is still unknown. What is mentioned in the press release is that it will support multiple devices at once, for multiplayer and shared entertainment. It's also promising exclusive experiences with its NFL partnership that attach to SmartGlass and Skype integration, so we'll expect to see more about that in the future.

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EA shows first Xbox One games: FIFA, NBA Live, Madden and UFC | Engadget

Jon Fingas — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:32:00 -0500

EA teased hours ago that FIFA 14 would be one of the first Xbox One games, but it just used Microsoft's event to unveil a considerably wider slate. FIFA 14, NBA Live 14, Madden 25 and EA Sports UFC are all coming to the new console within the next 12 months. All of them are using a new engine, EA Sports Ignite, that has 10 times the animation detail, smarter artificial intelligence, 3D crowds, 'living' sidelines and a daily dose of new content through Xbox Live. EA and Microsoft are getting cozier with the deal, too -- FIFA 14 Ultimate Team will be an Xbox exclusive. We'll have to wait for more detail about that game later this year, but it's safe to say that Microsoft won't be lacking for major sports titles during the Xbox One's vital first year.

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EA announces EA Sports Ignite, a next generation game engine | Engadget

Sean Buckley — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:32:00 -0500

Thought Frostbite 3 was EA's only big next-gen games engine? Think again: the publisher just announced EA Sports Ignite at Xbox One's reveal event, a new game engine designed specifically for high-end sports titles. "EA Sports Ignite is designed specifically to help us blur the line between the real and the virtual." Andrew Wilson said as he took the stage, listing off a quartet of new games powered by the engine: FIFA, Madden NFL, NBA Live and UFC. Wilson says the engine will allow EA developers to soak its next-gen sports titles in an unprecedented amount of detail, promising to hurdle the animation limitations of current sports games by a factor of ten. The engine's computational claims are even more impressive, offering as much as "four times more calculations per second," according to Wilson, who says it will allow EA to create "human-like intelligence." I guess developers are sick of bad computer AI too.

Check out our Xbox One reveal liveblog right here.

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Microsoft updates Xbox Live to outfit Xbox One with 300,000 servers, game DVR and more | Engadget

Billy Steele — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:26:00 -0500

In addition to showing of its next-gen console, Microsoft also detailed changes that are coming to Xbox Live. The outfit has increased to 300,000 servers to power Xbox One users -- up from 15,000 that handle the Xbox 360. Skype and Trending features offer social interaction while the online software will now feature a dedicated game DVR for uploading those Call of Duty exploits for all of your mates to see. In addition to being able to share highlights, searching for your next opponent has become that much easier. Music, movies, games and saved content are all stored in the cloud and devs will be able to leverage Live servers to offer more "living and persistent worlds." Current Gold members won't need to complete any extra steps as subscriptions will work on both the Xbox One and the 360.

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Xbox One runs three operating systems, including cut-down Windows for apps | Engadget

Sharif Sakr — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:26:00 -0500

The latest update out of the currently unfolding announcement in Redmond: the next-generation Xbox will run three operating systems simultaneously. Complementing Windows 8 and RT on PCs and tablets, there'll be a third distinct version of Microsoft's operating system that has been pared down specifically for the new console. This will be the main system OS used to run apps such as Skype and other non-game titles downloaded from the Xbox storefront. At the same time, virtualization technology similar to Microsoft's Hyper-V will be used to allocate the bulk of system resources to a second, dedicated "Xbox OS" when the user loads up a game. This game OS will remain a fixed entity throughout the life of the console, so that game developers can be confident their games will run regardless of how much the Windows side of the machine gets updated. Finally, a third OS will work as a middle-man between the two, allowing the two sides of the console to talk to each other. Read on for more.

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Xbox One will have a slot-loading Blu-ray drive to go with its 500GB HDD | Engadget

Steve Dent — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:25:00 -0500

Microsoft has confirmed what many saw as inevitable: the Xbox will have a Blu-ray drive. The company just announced the victor in the drive wars will be installed as a slot-loading front unit in each new Xbox One to provide entertainment and gaming input along with a 500GB HDD, a 360-degree switch from Redmond's last console, as it were. Microsoft heavily resisted the move to Blu-ray in the Xbox 360, but has caved to the inevitable, no doubt having come to an agreement with Sony, the owner of the tech, through gritted teeth.

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Xbox One hardware and specs: 8-core CPU, 8GB RAM, 500GB hard drive and more | Engadget

Sharif Sakr — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:21:00 -0500

Slot-loading Blu-ray drive? Check. HDMI in and out? Absolutely, considering the Xbox One is meant to play a central role in the living room. There's an octa-core processor based on AMD's Jaguar design and 8GB of RAM to go up against the Sony PlayStation 4, plus USB 3.0 ports, 500GB of hard drive storage, WiFi Direct for communicating with the new controller and other devices, and a humungous amount of silicon to drive it all: no fewer than five billion transistors, which compares to 1.4 billion in your average Intel or AMD chip (although Microsoft may be included other processors and DSPs in that count). And just in case you're wondering, the switch to an x86 PC-style architecture will indeed preclude backwards compatibility with 360 games.

As for the box itself, well, it looks rather a like a little HTPC with black and silver case and a big Xbox logo -- a visage with actually tallies with the fact that's running a PC-like x86 architecture inside. There's a full list of specs after the break, which we're continuing to build out as more details pour out of Microsoft's Xbox One ongoing launch event.

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Microsoft shows off new Xbox One dashboard, Trending tab for popular content | Engadget

Jamie Rigg — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:17:00 -0500

So, we've just seen our first glimpse of the Xbox One, and after watching the console boot by voice command, we've had a peek at the new dashboard, too. It's not a massive departure from the current one, but as you can see, the theme is a little plainer and cleaner than the Xbox 360 dash, while keeping the tile-like appearance also common to the Windows UI. You'll recognize most of the tabs running along the top, but "Trending" is fresh -- this tab shows what's popular amongst your friends, as well as what's hot within the entire Xbox Live community. Also, "My Pins" now gets its own dedicated tab, rather than being a tile on the Home screen. How you use and navigate the dash is where the real innovations lie, like the next-gen Kinect voice control and Snap Mode multitasking.

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Microsoft announces Skype integration for Xbox One, leverages Kinect enhancements | Engadget

Sean Buckley — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:16:00 -0500

It may have taken two years and a new console generation, but Microsoft is finally making good on an old promise: Skype is coming to Xbox. Microsoft has been planning to port the internet telephony service to its home console since it purchased Skype back in 2011, but it never surfaced on the Xbox 360. Now, the service is poised to make the most of the next generation, leveraging the refreshed Kinect and voice enhancements for a higher-quality experience than its predecessor was capable of. Gamers can receive calls even while watching movies, and they can open them up side by side other apps and games in Snap Mode. Naturally, Skype can be controlled via voice, with commands to shut off the mic or camera, end calls and go full screen. Group video chat was given a mention, but it's still not clear just how many folks can be looped in.

Gallery: Skype on Xbox One

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Microsoft's new Kinect is official: larger field of view, HD camera, wake with voice | Engadget

Terrence O'Brien — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:13:00 -0500

Microsoft's introducing a new Kinect motion-sensing camera to go alongside its new Xbox One game console. The camera peripheral is getting some major improvements in its second iteration, and it's expected to ship with every new console at launch. One of the most impressive features is the ability to wake the console with just a voice command. Simply say "Xbox on," and you're ready to get gaming. In fact, you can shout all sorts of things at your new Kinect, such as "watch TV" or (wait for it...) "snap Internet Explorer." That's right, there is true multitasking built into Xbox One and you can move windows around or switch between tasks, with just a voice command. Of course, you can also navigate the various panels and screens with the usual hand waves and air pinches, should you feel a bit silly talking to your console.

On the inside is a 1080p camera -- a huge step up from the VGA sensor on the original Kinect. The new motion controller processes a stunning 2Gb of data per second to accurately read your environment. Everything about this second iteration of the Kinect is more accurate, in fact, from the number of reference points on your skeleton it monitors down to its ability to read your heartbeat. And it's powerful enough to bring that increased fidelity to not just one, but six skeletons simultaneously (should you have enough room in your pad for that many players). It even has the ability to talk to the standard Xbox controller for some Move-like functionality. Lift the remote and you'll lift your shield in the game, for example. For Microsoft, the Kinect is what ties the Xbox One experience together.

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals, HD, Microsoft

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Xbox One's 'Snap Mode' lets you use two apps simultaneously | Engadget

Sean Buckley — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:12:00 -0500

Phones, tablets and game consoles typically offer single-screen experiences, that is, one app on screen at a time. Microsoft is challenging that idea, announcing what it calls "Snap Mode" at its next-generation Xbox event, taking a stab at home console multitasking. It's essentially a port of a well-known Windows 8 feature: separate apps can be pinned to the edge of the television's screen in isolated panels, allowing gamers to use Xbox apps while playing a game, or watch TV while simultaneously using Internet Explorer . Combined with the lightning-fast app switching Microsoft showed off on stage, it's definitely a big step forward for couchside computing.

Check out our Xbox One reveal liveblog right here.

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A new gamepad for a new game console: Microsoft's next-gen wireless controller revealed | Engadget

Edgar Alvarez — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:07:00 -0500

Despite the few protestations gamers have with the Xbox 360 wireless controller, Microsoft is apparently updating its much-loved input device for the next-generation, Xbox One. At first glance, the controller looks rather similar to its successor, though there are definitely some design tweaks in tow. For starters, the renowned "Xbox button" has been moved up a bit, making room for a couple of buttons in the central place where it used to be located.

What's more, and in what's perhaps the biggest change, the triggers now have a built-in rumble system, which Microsoft's calling "Impulse Triggers." There's now also a redesigned d-pad that takes on a more traditional "cross" look, while the thumbsticks are slightly shorter and have a textured design around the edge, which, presumably, should help keep your thumbs gripped with more ease. The battery compartment, meanwhile, is much smaller than the previous version. We're likely to hear more about the One's gamepad soon, so we'll be updating this post as more info comes in.

Ben Gilbert contributed to this report.

Gallery: Xbox One controller

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Microsoft unveils its next game console, the Xbox One | Engadget

Ben Gilbert — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:04:00 -0500

Microsoft debuted the Xbox One this afternoon live from a tent on its Redmond, Wash., campus, putting to end months of speculation about the company's next-generation video game console. The console will be available "later this year." Microsoft exec Don Mattrick called it out as an "all-in-one" box. The core strategy is "simple, instant and complete." It was debuted alongside a new gamepad as well as a new Kinect motion camera.

The system itself is all black and features a two-tone finish with both matte and gloss in equal measure; a slot-loading Blu-ray optical drive sits out front on the left face, while a power button with the traditional incomplete circle symbol is emblazoned on the right side (which looks to be touch-based). A new Kinect was also unveiled, and it powers the console -- "Xbox On" is being trumpeted as the most important feature. There's instant switching from the Xbox One dashboard to live television (which seems to confirm that HDMI-in rumor), and a live demo showed off impressive speeds. "Switching between live tv and all your games and entertainment is now as simple as using a remote," Microsoft's Yusuf Mehdi said. He also demonstrated gesture controls for the console's UI, quickly snapping back to the dashboard with a pinch command.

Gallery: Xbox One

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Userfox wants to make A/B testing emails effortless, launches new service and revamped UI | The Next Web

Harrison Weber — Tue, 21 May 2013 16:29:12 -0500

Userfox, a startup which offers email services to help companies retain their users, has debuted a new A/B testing product which greatly simplifies the process of optimizing marketing campaigns.

Userfox first launched back in February to solve the problem of user retention — an issue the creators ran into while running their first company, Vimessa. Now, Userfox is heavily investing in making split testing easy for anyone to explore.

Of course, it’s long been possible to test and compare the effectiveness of emails, but it has historically required technical know-how to implement. Userfox is setting out to make it so marketers don’t need to rely on developers at all. With this launch, Userfox will compete with major email marketing services like MailChimp and Campaign Monitor, both of which offer similar A/B testing functionality.

In addition to the new split testing features, the company is releasing a revamped backbone.js-powered UI, which the company claims is radically faster than before.

Beyond today’s news, Userfox details that the company is planning to implement deep Salesforce integration, “allowing users to push and pull data between their web application, userfox, and their Salesforce CRM.” Userfox is also planning to release a “radically easier integration snippet,” which will speed up the process of getting started with Userfox.

➤ Userfox

Featured image credit: JOHANNES EISELE / Getty Images

Crunchyroll launches e-commerce platform to offer viewers merchandise alongside their favorite anime | The Next Web

Nick Summers — Tue, 21 May 2013 16:22:11 -0500

Crunchyroll, an on-demand streaming service for Japanese anime and television shows broadcast across Asia, is rolling out a new e-commerce platform today that offers viewers merchandise while they’re watching their favorite shows.

As with Western comic books and sci-fi television shows, fans of popular anime such as Naruto Shippuden and Bleach often like to buy merchandise to show their support for the franchise. This can be additional DVDs or graphic novels, called manga in Japan, but also figurines, dress-up props and clothes.

The market for these goods is incredibly lucrative – Crunchyroll estimates that over 70 percent of the anime ecosystem is monetized by merchandise related to the big anime brands – so it should come as no surprise that the streaming service wants a slice of the action.

Users that access the service from the browser will now be able to purchase merchandise as the video is playing. This is often from the right-hand side of the webpage, as a small pop-out box which shows the name of the product, price, a thumbnail image and ’Shop Now’ button.

Crunchyroll also serves up a series of video advertisements for users who are watching an episode for free, so there’s a chance that the company might utilize this space down the line.

“We are innovating around content streaming and delivering e-commerce capabilities to immediately connect viewers with merchandise relevant to the video content that they are viewing, and we’re only at the beginning stage of where we want to go with the combined experience,” said Brady McCollum, COO of Crunchyroll.

It’s important to note that the merchandise will always be relevant to the show that the user is watching. Although adverts are rarely welcomed by Internet users, the fact that they’re specialized and targeted based on a users’ tastes should mean that they’re a little less irritating.

Crunchyroll already has a dedicated store accessible from the menu bar, but will be expanding its relationships with partners throughout Asia in order to sell exclusive merchandise previously not available outside of these markets.

Crunchyroll is unique because it’s one of the few dedicated services offering a legal means of streaming anime in a timely manner. DVD sales, which often require large amounts of translation work and voice acting for “dubbed” audio tracks, have slowed in recent times because of the delay in release dates.

Fans want to watch anime as soon as it is broadcast in Japan, which has triggered a ground swell of online piracy and subtitles contributed by fans and amateur translation teams.

Crunchyroll offers users a free, legal way of accessing a whole host of popular shows including Total Eclipse, Nyarko-san: Another Crawling Chaos. Some of these shows are uploaded with a small delay, up to a week in some cases, which users can choose to bypass by paying €4.99 per month for a premium subscription.

Image Credit: OLIVIER MORIN/AFP/Getty Images

Twitter's Innovator's Patent Agreement launched, applied to first patent | Engadget

Michael Gorman — Tue, 21 May 2013 16:19:00 -0500

The patent wars have grown long and tiresome for many, but Twitter's among the first to take meaningful action to stop them with its Innovator's Patent Agreement. Today, the company launched version 1.0 of the IPA and is using it for the first time. Patent number 8,448,084, which claims a method for refreshing a scrollable list of content (aka pull-to-refresh) is the first to get the IPA treatment, which means that Twitter has pledged to use this patent for defensive purposes only.

What's that mean? Well, under this version of the IPA, Twitter can assert claims against anyone who has filed, threatened or participated in a patent infringement suit against Twitter or any of its users, affiliates, customers, suppliers or distributors. It can also assert the patent to "deter a patent litigation threat" against Twitter and its peoples. If you're thinking that such a broad definition of "defensive purposes" means Twitter can pretty much use its IPA'd patents how it chooses, you're pretty much right. Still, we applaud Twitter's effort to pre-empt future patent litigation, but we'll have to wait and see if it accomplishes its goal of having companies spending their money on innovation instead of litigation.

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Source: Official Twitter blog

Appcelerator brings real-time analytics to its mobile app platform, boosting developer intelligence | The Next Web

Alex Wilhelm — Tue, 21 May 2013 16:00:48 -0500

Today Appcelerator announced a new analytics platform for its service that helps developers create applications in native code. Its products can take code written in Java, for example, and produce the same application prepped, and natively-built for the iOS platform.

The company vends a software as a service version of its conversion tools to large companies that contains and analytics component. Appcelerator declined to be more specific, but did inform TNW that its number of paying customers is in the thousands, and that the cost of SasS offering is not minor.

According to the firm, there are, at its most recent count, 134,567,882 devices that run applications that are powered by its technology. Put quickly, Appcelerator wants to “democratize development and help companies build rich native experiences,” according to its CEO Jeff Haynie.

Regarding potential performance issues that might arise from the translation of an app into native code, the company dismissed them as diminutive, and therefore negligible.

Today’s update to its enterprise-facing platform includes real-time analytics. Reporting on the performance of mobile applications has heretofore been a somewhat stodgy affair for many, akin to Google Analytics before it released a real-time product; batch data that is a day late is no way to track your product, whatever it is.

Essentially a real-time dashboard, Appcelerator’s new analytics service will include location information, automated testing, real-time notifications of app failures, and batch testing of devices. Again turning to the Google Analytics comparison, you can, as part of the Appcelerator analytics suite, write additional logic, allowing for your app to track occurrences that are critical to your own metrics.

For companies that have dozens, or perhaps hundreds of mobile applications, they can now have a unified view into their performance. Now, data eye candy:

Taking its analytics service into the now isn’t the only improvement Appcelerator added to its platform today. A new profiler allows for cross-OS profiling, and a method to watch an application change ‘live’ as you code on it; this lowers development and testing time requirements.

Intelligence

Appcelerator’s changes to its enterprise service will bring its customers more data, more quickly. Can they use that information; are they equipped to accept the information, and use it to make business decisions?

According to the firm its clients are intelligent and sufficiently prepared, with business-to-consumer firms able to improve performance the closer they get to their users.

That said, Appcelerator intends to help its customers by scoring their application. A score based on code quality will be served. I would not want to be the first developer to turn in an app to their boss only to have it receive the lowest marks. In time, the scoring function will improve; for now it remains somewhat nascent.

Appcelerator isn’t a company that you see on magazine covers, but I would bet your house that some of its clients have built apps that have enjoyed large sums of media spotlight.

Here’s why you care: The better companies understand their applications, the better the apps you use on a daily basis will be. And that’s a global good.

Top Image Credit: Cite Conference

EasilyDo Tells You What to Do Before You Need to Know (or You're Late) | Lifehacker

Alan Henry — Tue, 21 May 2013 16:00:00 -0500

Android: EasilyDo, the proactive personal assistant, launched for iOS a few months ago. Now the app is available for Android, and features the same proactive reminders and tools, from reminding you to make dinner reservations to suggesting you get flowers on the way home for your anniversary.

EasilyDo's biggest benefit is that the app tries to notify you well in advance of when you need to do something so you're never late and you can fit it into a reasonable time. For example, the app will notice you have a conference call scheduled, remind you, and then offer to dial into the call for you. It'll alert you at the beginning of the day to major daily events, like birthdays and anniversaries, and help you wish your friends on Facebook a happy birthday so you don't forget to do it. The app even scans your contacts for you, and can delete or merge duplicates. The more services you connect EasilyDo with, the more useful it is, but if you're worried about your privacy, you can disconnect at any time, or only enable the features you're comfortable using.

Some of EasilyDo's features overlap a bit with other personal assistants on Android and Google Now, like the ability to get driving directions to your next appointment before you leave, but even so the app is worth a look. It even boasts a widget so the app can keep you current without forcing you to open it up first. You can learn more about the app and grab a copy at the link below.

EasilyDo (free) | Google Play