There was a time when Kazaa was one of the biggest peer-to-peer networks on the planet, a virtual all-you-could-eat buffet where users could download tons of music, movies, TV episodes and even software by way of a desktop client. But like its file-sharing peers, Kazaa went down in flames thanks to copyright infringement lawsuits submitted by the RIAA, MPAA and other organizations. It settled for a huge sum of money ($100 million) and then re-emerged years later as a legal service in July 2009, seemingly trying washing away the sins of the past.

Since its reemergence, Kazaa has offered several legal music service models, the latest of which providing unlimited, on-demand music streaming for $10 per month. And prior to Tuesday, consumers using an iOS device were suggested to use Kazaa’s mobile website for access on-the-go. There’s speculation that parent company Atrinsic Inc. took the browser route to keep from paying Apple’s 30-percent royalty fee on purchases — can’t really blame them for that.

But that has now changed. Tuesday Atrinsic said that a Kazaa streaming music application is now available as a free download through Apple’s App Store. Like many other premium music streaming services, a subscription is required for mobile use, and at this time, Kazaa’s $10/month all-you-can-eat subscription is the only plan available. Unfortunately, this may hurt Kazaa in the long run given that it doesn’t offer any kind of desktop-based free service as does Slacker, MOG, Spotify and others.

“Our goal is to allow our subscribers to access whatever music they want, whenever and wherever they want it in the easiest way possible with the highest quality service,” said Stuart Goldfarb, President and CEO of Atrinsic, Inc. “The launch of our app today makes it even simpler for our users with Apple devices to do this. This marks another important step forward in Kazaa’s product development.”

According to Atrinsic, the iOS app allows subscribers to search and listen on demand, download any song, album or playlist, create, sync and access playlists anywhere, listen to Kazaa Radio, and access higher audio quality options. All subscribers get access to Kazaa’s constantly updated catalogue of “millions and millions of songs.”

Tuesday Reuters said that Atrinsic shares were up 46-percent at $3.29 on Nasdaq after the company released the Kazaa iOS app — shares even touched a high of $3.75 earlier in the session. The company acquired Kazaa from Brilliant Digital in October 2010, and currently plans to offer additional Kazaa mobile apps for non-iOS devices in the future.

If you’ve nursed a casual interest in robotics – maybe you love Asimov or you’ve been watching Star Trek: The Next Generation on Netflix – but lack funding or a hard robotics background, you might find Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio 4 a good place to start. Just released for beta, the software allows programmers to develop their own applications to control robots using a Windows PC as the CPU and a Kinect sensor as eyes and ears, further demonstrating that of Kinect’s large number of useful applications, ‘playing video games’ is lowest among them.

As with most Microsoft endeavors, the company is only providing software, and they’ve released a reference platform design spec for third parties wishing to develop robots for the platform. You’re not going to be able to make your own doomsday device, but you might be able to make something useful for around the house. Parallax, Inc has already manufactured a hardware kit based on that document, for a cute robot/chair named Eddie, currently available for preorder.

Read more…

HP’s webOS division is having a tough time as of late. The company recently announced that it was axing its TouchPad and Pre line of tablets and smartphones and sold off all remaining stock in a huge fire sale. Since then, the future of webOS remains unclear. While HP said it would continue to develop webOS, it admitted that it was stopping development on webOS hardware. Today, HP confirmed that it’s trimming the fat in the webOS division.

“As communicated on August 18, HP will discontinue the development of webOS devices within the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2011, which ends Oct. 31, 2011,” the company told AllThingsD today. “As part of this decision, the webOS GBU is undergoing a reduction in workforce. Today’s actions are part of this initiative. During this time, we stand by our commitment to our webOS customers and will work to ensure that support and service for customers are not adversely affected. HP is exploring ways to leverage webOS software.”

HP has not specified how many people will lose their jobs but the number is rumored to be somewhere in the region of 500 people. AllThingsDigital cites sources close to the situation that say HP is preparing to lay off 525 people. HP has one final production run on TouchPads before it discontinues the development of webOS devices and winds down device operations within its fourth fiscal quarter.

SOURCE via All Things D

Skycast Solutions unveils its brand new Trayvu device, an android system to be integrated into existing and future seating systems. Last week we caught news of future Boeing 787s coming equipped with Android Entertainment Systems, but it looks like older planes will also get some in-flight Android entertainment thanks to Skycast Solutions’ brand new Trayvu. Trayvu is designed to be easily integrated into the trays of airplanes located on the back side of seats.

With an 8.9-inch touch screen running on the current Honeycomb version of Android, Trayvu features several different applications that can be tailored to any flights needs, such as entertainment sections for television, music, movies, and gaming. A built-in card reader will also give flights the opportunity to have shopping sections for sky-shopping, food and beverage orders.

The Trayvu device will be viewable both when the tray is stowed in its upright position and when the table is lowered. Weighing in at less than 2 pounds each, Trayvu can be easily integrated into both existing and future seating units and can be replaced easily over time. Although the integration of tablet technology into airplanes can provide an incredible new platform for in-flight entertainment, we can’t help but cringe at the thought of children playing whack-a-mole games and poking furiously at our backsides.

Tuesday Blizzard announced that the closed beta test for Diablo 3 had officially begun, and that the first wave of invitations were on the way. But don’t fret if an invite doesn’t appear within the next day or so: additional participants will be added over the course of the beta test. Unfortunately, Blizzard hasn’t released an official beta test schedule, so there’s no telling when the second wave of invitations will begin.

“This closed beta test is an important milestone for us as we enter the final stages of development on Diablo 3,” said Blizzard CEO and co-founder Mike Morhaime. “Our goal is to create the best action role-playing game experience to date, building on everything we’ve learned since the release of Diablo 2 and incorporating the powerful features of the new Battle.net platform. We hope players enjoy participating in the beta test and we look forward to hearing their feedback.”

According to the studio, beta participants will be able to fight their way through part of Act I as any of the five hero classes — barbarian, witch doctor, wizard, monk, and demon hunter — and go head-to-skull against the Skeleton King, taking him on alone or playing cooperatively with other adventurers. They’ll also get to meet up with some of the artisans, followers, and other key characters from Sanctuary, and try out the game’s skill and crafting systems.

Feeling jealous? Of course you are.

If anything, the beta means that we’re getting closer to an actual Diablo 3 launch. Blizzard said that the beta will be English-only, and that release timing and region-specific details such as pricing and supported languages will be announced at a later date. For more information on Diablo III, please visit the official website here. Additionally, here is Blizzard’s overview of the game which came with the beta announcement:

Diablo 3 will continue the epic Diablo storyline, with players playing their role in the ongoing struggle to save the world of Sanctuary from the corrupting forces of the Burning Hells. Diablo 3 will also be the definitive action role-playing game, with players adventuring through rich and varied settings, engaging in combat with hordes of monsters and challenging bosses, growing in experience and ability, and acquiring items of incredible power. As the sequel to Diablo 2, the game will feature the easy-to-use interface, fast-paced action, and visceral gameplay that Diablo players have come to expect and enjoy. Designed from the ground up to leverage the power of Battle.net, Diablo 3 will also provide gamers with industry-leading matchmaking and communication tools; convenient character- and inventory-management options; and the Diablo 3 auction house, which will support a robust player-driven economy.

Color us unsurprised that Ivy Bridge is destined to be faster and smaller than its predecessor, but unbeknownst to us is an interesting tidbit concerning the upcoming architecture’s GPU. The revamp will support resolutions in excess of 4K (topping out at a maximum of 4,096 x 4,096) — a sizable jump from the WQXGA (2,560 x 1,600) limitation of its Sandy Bridge’s forebearer — opening the door to all sorts of resolution independent goodness. Guess that means you won’t need a discrete GPU in the future to power that bodacious (but pricey) pro-level display. Have a peek in the links below if you’re hungry for more details about Ivy Bridge.

SOURCE via Anandtech

While their competitors are still stuck with the regional-based categorization, Sony once again brings good news to gamers by making their upcoming PlayStation Vita handheld gaming device region-free. This fact was confirmed by Shuhei Yoshida, the President of Sony Worldwide Studios – the outfit that is responsible for PlayStation’s first party games – through his Twitter.

However, Shuhei was quick to point out the differences between Japan and unit from other regions that might irked some gamers such as the usage of X and O buttons whereby in Japan, O is used for “yes” and X is for “no” while in other regions, they usually go the opposite way. Nothing major, to be frank.

This news also means that eager PlayStation fans out there can pretty much import the Japanese unit right from the launch day itself if they really want to. As you might aware, we always recommend official units from your local Sony but if you don’t have the patience for that…well, maybe it is time to make that phone call to your friend in Japan.

SOURCE via GamesIndustry