Wii U’s latest E 3.0.0 firmware is available !

Nintendo just put online a new firmware for the Wii U version 3.0.0 E. It is of course the big update awaited from the beginning of the year, which adds many features to the console, but also improves responsiveness. This is the day of early correction for the Wii U, or rather his great spring update. Promised since the beginning of the year by Nintendo, firmware 3.0.0 E console is now available and provides many additions to the machine. The first of these is an overall improvement in the responsiveness of the console menus. Return to the main menu of the Wii U while a game is running will for example half the time before. The smoothness of menus is also improved, and the stability of the system.

Now, downloads and gaming facilities will continue, even if the console is in standby. Also purchased from the eShop titles are installed automatically in the background once they finished downloading. Access to the Wii console mode is also simplified. Rather than having to dig through menus to switch between the Wii and Wii U fashion, simply to keep the B button gamepad support for the start of the Wii console to access menus. It is also noted that the deployment of this update coincides with the launch of the Virtual Console service, which should be done in the day, some NES and SNES games should be available today. Note that the firmware weighs no less than 637 MB, and Nintendo provides this update will take about one hour to install on our machines. Note full update is not yet available on the French site Nintendo, but English version is available here on the General Info / Wii U System and Feature Updates tree.

Chromebook Versus Laptop?

Who is Google’s Chromebook for? Can it really replace a laptop or is it just a really expensive browser? That’s what I tried and am still trying to figure out. Are people buying the Chromebook just because it has Google’s signature all over or is it really that good?

But first…

What Exactly Is The Chromebook?

Maybe you haven’t heard about it.  After all, if I spend all my time between Microsoft Word and my web browser, that doesn’t mean you all do too.

So, there’s a simple concept behind it - to run just about everything within the Chrome browser, obviously with Google’s services and apps taking care of your document storing and management, email, calendar and more.  Some major selling points are the 8-second boot time and a lengthy 8-hour battery life. Plus, the Chromebook comes with a solid state disk drive, which means it’s unlikely your disk drive will crash in case you drop your Chromebook, for example.

So, What Makes It Different From An Average Laptop?

The Chromebook has no file management system whatsoever. With cloud storage being all the rage these days, the Chromebook might seem like the obvious replacement for laptops. But is it really? Think about it – you cannot manage files that aren’t saved on the cloud. In other words, if you have no Internet connection, you have, well, nothing.

So, it’s not really a laptop, nor is it a tablet. It’s… a £200 web browser that you can use to access your email or your calendar, write some documents and share some photos. Did I miss anything? (If you were thinking about watching videos on it, with a meagre 12.1" display, it might not be the best device for watching videos).

Advantages & Disadvantages

Price: On Amazon.co.uk,Acer’s cheapest Chromebook starts at £199 while Samsung’s Chromebook Wifi sells at £223 and it looks like the prices are dropping. On the other hand, an Acer Aspire laptop starts at £315 which is a bit more expensive.

Usability: There are many apps available on Chrome’s Web Store so no reason to complain here. Plus, since everything is online, you won’t have to worry about having to install heavy programs.

Keyboard: The Chromebook’s keyboard might take some getting used to as the usual keys you’re accustomed to won’t be there. No delete key, no function keys. You’ll have to Google a bit to find the work-arounds.

Should You Buy It?

Don’t get me wrong, the Chromebook is fantastic but not as a replacement for your laptop. It’s great for when you’re travelling and need a lightweight device to stay up-to-date with your emails and meetings; or for when you want to have a Skype call to handle some quick business issues; or for when you need quick access to important documents but aren’t at the office or at home. But then again, you can use a tablet for that, if you can live without a keyboard.

At the end of the day, is comes down to what you’re looking for in a laptop. However, do keep in mind that with a Chromebook you need non-stop 24/7 connection to wireless Internet, otherwise you won’t be able to use it.

How about you – have you tried Google’s Chromebook? 

Guest post by Alexandra Gavril who writes for the dedicated server providers heartinternet.co.uk

Sale of Dailymotion to Yahoo! Prevented by their Government!

According to sources, negotiations to sell a majority stake in Dailymotion with Yahoo are going on. The government, which holds a little more than a quarter of Orange shares, would have put pressure on the operator to terminate its discussions with Yahoo. Since last year, Orange does not hide their desire to increase the audience of Dailymotion in the world, especially in the United States. To achieve its goal, the incumbent has thus been seeking to find a U.S. partner. But since last March, it is likely that Orange and Yahoo! are negotiating. The partnership would be more logical if Dailymotion and Yahoo! both share their hands against their competitors to YouTube and Google. Such a marriage would have some sense. But Yahoo does not want to settle for a simple partnership, but rather take the option of biting mostly Dailymotion. There is talk of at least 75% share of specialist hosting videos on the internet. After the loss Priceminister, bought by the Japanese Rakuten in 2010, Meetic in 2011 (acquired by American Game), and France could therefore give another of his champions web.

 Dailymotion is one of the few content companies that France has managed to emerge on the Web in recent years, this is a real gem, and in addition does not lose money. It would be a shame to let it slip "has noted a personality of French Internet World. For the government, so let a foreign partner in a minority Dailymotion way is not a problem, but the majority stake is not in the program. Stephan Richard, CEO of Orange, has therefore complied with the requirements of the France government. Especially in recent months, rumors lend to Stephan Richard departure to other lands (Veolia), to be replaced by Anne Lauvergeon, former boss of Areva. However, this rumor was denied several times. Dailymotion on this same Stephan Richard reaffirmed its full commitment to the video platform owned recently 100% Orange. "I am very pleased with this investment, I personally rose at a time when shareholders Dailymotion, the FSI (Strategic Investment Fund, Ed), wanted to withdraw. (...) We will remain an influential shareholder Dailymotion and we will be attentive to the implications for Orange and the France of a possible alliance." It does not seem to matter of yield of Dailymotion another company to listen Stephan Richard. However, according to an internal source at Orange and contacted by Le Monde, the operator still not abandon the idea of finding a partner and is in talks with other American groups; But for a minority entry for them this time.

The Rise in Awareness of Contactless Payments

Contactless payments seem to have slipped into people’s awareness rather than having been launched with a fanfare in the way that chip-and-PIN payments were. Admittedly chip-and-PIN payments required a significant change in the behaviour of both merchants and consumers (from swiping and signing to dipping and entering PIN) and offered equally significant gains to both in terms of preventing fraud. Contactless payments, by contrast, were essentially a gain in terms of convenience.

The rollout of contactless began in the UK in 2007, albeit restricted to seven London postcodes and a small number of merchants in these areas [1]. Once the solution was confirmed as running smoothly, both in terms of the technology on the cards and in terms of the new requirements for the terminals; card-issuing banks and retailers began to implement the technology across the UK.

At first contactless transactions were limited to a maximum value of £10, which was in line with their intended use as a replacement for cash for low-value, high-volume transactions. This was where they found their initial foothold in the UK market with McDonalds and Pret a Manger both being early-adopters. Barclaycard made use of contactless technology to enhance its product offering. As well as starting to issue standard contactless cards, it also began to issue Barclays OnePulse, a combination payment and London Transport Travel card (Oyster card). This highlighted the convenience both of paying with just one touch and of reducing the number of cards held in consumers’ wallets.

In 2010 the limit for contactless transactions was raised again to £15 and their acceptance by both consumers and merchants steadily increased.

The turning point for the mainstream acceptance of contactless arguably came in 2012. As sponsors of the Olympics, Visa was eager to showcase their most innovative technologies in the “cashless games” and contactless became the star of the show. The speed and convenience of contactless payments became the centrepiece of a mainstream advertising campaign featuring international sprinting superstar Usain Bolt. At the same time, merchants who had hitherto ignored contactless began to reassess their strategy. As well as reaching out to sectors which had traditionally been cash-only (such as London taxis), contactless began to filter into areas which had long accepted cards (such as supermarkets) as a means of speeding up transactions (and thereby reducing queues).

There was a second milestone reached in 2012. London Transport initiated a plan to accept contactless cards in place of Oyster cards [2]. This began with upgrading touchpads on buses to accept contactless payment. At the moment, there are limitations to this in that those who use contactless will pay full fare for each journey rather than benefitting from the fare cap applied to Oyster payments, however plans are in place to correct this.

Moving into 2013, contactless payments seem well-placed to become a fully-fledged mainstream technology. Its speed and convenience have huge appeal to both merchants and consumers.

Sources:
[1] http://www.contactless.info/
[2] http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/26416.aspx
This post was supplied on behalf of First Data Merchant Solutions, the payment processing partners.

Official Unveiling Announced For Xbox720

After months of silence, Microsoft does now seem to brass tacks. The manufacturer announced the official unveiling date for the Xbox 720. Within one month, Microsoft officially airs the curtain on the Xbox 720. The countdown for the great battle consoles has officially begun - and the Xbox 720 is right at the front. Two months after unveiling the PS4 Microsoft claimed the spotlight for themselves. The manufacturer currently sent invitations to the big Xbox show in Redmond, which is going to happen on 21 May 2013. The full program for the manufacturer promises 19 days later following E3. While only selected journalists traveling to the event in Redmond, you follow the event live on the Internet via xbox.com, Xbox Live or on the U.S. television channel Spike TV. Xbox Live icon and Microsoft employee Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb on his blog promises a glimpse of the next generation of games, television and entertainment. HD-DVD to Blu-ray - in the DVD format war to follow, which raged until early 2008, Microsoft fought on the losing side.

Theoretically, the Redmond IT giant could still mount with a Blu-ray drive in the Xbox 360's successor - and does it well also. But Microsoft needs to pull the trigger royalties to the Blu-ray consortium. Sony belongs to the group of companies that developed the Blu-ray. But Microsoft wants with its new console in the living room, because that is the most lucrative place for sale of entertainment content. To achieve this goal, the movie playback is essential. Without Blu-ray drive of the Xbox 360's successor has a competitive disadvantage. Streaming movies is an alternative in the U.S., in Europe, it looks different. In other countries it's usually cheaper to rent a Blu-ray from the video store. And the quality is also better. Confirm recent reports on alleged hardware specifications of the Xbox 720 that Microsoft's new console, the hip drive with the blue laser on board. But it can only to to install games or movies. Play back of the disc does not seem to work it seems. Numerous technical information haunt the next Microsoft console already through the net. Many suggest that the DADDELKISTE from Redmond, similar to the Playstation 4, puts on a PC-like hardware architecture. It now also suggests a job ad from Microsoft. Their security team is looking for a software developer to work on the security systems of the Xbox.

Applicants should have experience in dealing with x86 chipsets loud display. X86 refers to a variety of microprocessors in personal computers and are now in the Playstation for 4 years. It stands to reason that the Xbox 720 followed this trend. From an industry source close COMPUTER GAMES PICTURE first received information start the Xbox 720; Accordingly, the console appears here in November 2013 in two different price options. Upon completion of an Xbox Live Gold subscription, you get the source DADDELKISTE loud already for 299 Euros, but are bound for an unspecified time in the Premium Service. Opt for a membership, the console will cost you probably 499 Euros. Microsoft apparently wants to establish its subscription service as standard and is therefore going with a low price. Rumor "Forza 5" together with "Ryse" and two other tracks forms the core of the Xbox 720 launch banns. Even last year, pointed out an advertisement from Microsoft to work on the new offshoot of the racing game series. As the brand "Forza" is one of the major Microsoft exclusive titles, the publication of a new part to the start of the Xbox 720 is very likely. You may expect an almost photo-realistic racing spectacle that all predecessors in scope and provides output in the shade - and makes Sony's "Club Drive" powerful competition. So the Xbox 720 must be permanently connected to the Internet to function.

Remunerated in an exclusive partnership that already rumored to be made before the round: According to an insider Electronic Arts and Microsoft form the counterpart to Blizzard, Sony, and EA games offer at least temporarily exclusive to the Xbox 720th A step that would be useful and a significant challenge to Sony. Meanwhile, technical details about the upcoming console generation on everyone's lips. Well presented for a website that previously revealed the inner workings of the Xbox 720 and PS4, the graphics card the next Microsoft console in detail. Accordingly, the clocked with 800 MHz processing unit does not have its own memory, the so-called VRAM, but relies on the new technology of super-fast Esram. The Xbox 720 is in probably 32 megabytes and theoretically allows a maximum throughput of 102.4 gigabytes per second. In combination with the main memory of the console, apparently composed of eight gigabytes of DDR3 RAM and allows a data throughput of 68 gigabytes per second, the graphics unit total reaches a throughput of more than 170 gigabytes per second.

The report says the card uses standard DirectX 11.1 graphics and supports an advanced form of antialiasing. Thanks to a store gentle compression process, the graphics card to the Xbox 720 thus eliminating aliasing, without losing too much processing power. In a previous report, the website also revealed technical data to other components of the Xbox 720 Thus, Microsoft's new console comes with an eight-core processor from AMD so. Each of these cores is clocked at 1.6 GHz, and can be processed independently the two instructions simultaneously. The Xbox 720 has, according to report in addition to a hard drive, a Blu-ray drive on board and connects via Wi-Fi or Ethernet cable to the Internet. The data appear plausible and largely coincide with earlier rumors. A statement is made by Microsoft.