Spam usually sucks. It’s everywhere, it’s constant and it’s generally annoying too. But in one case, it is hilarious. Meet @Horse_ebooks, a pathetically hilarious spambot on Twitter that, unlike other Twitter spambots, doesn’t bother anyone. Unless you decide to follow it.
Microsoft has finally detailed the release date and some more details for the Windows 8 ‘Consumer Preview’, also known as a public beta.
The launch will come from Mobile World Congress on February 29, US time, from between 3PM and 5PM CET, which is around 3AM AEST on March 1. Being at a mobile conference, the launch could include demos on tablets or possibly even a look at Windows Phone 8.
As if Google Chrome OS wasn’t irrelevant enough, Google has today announced a beta for Google Chrome on Android. It’s only available in select countries, which includes Australia, and only works on Android 4.0, or Ice-Cream Sandwich.
Since Windows 95, Microsoft has included the Start button, a button that opened a list of Applications and Folder shortcuts, in each new version of Windows. While there have been changes, such as the change from the word “Start” to a Windows ‘orb,’ the main functions of the menu have remained the same.
Apple has finally pulled the delta update for Mac OS X 10.7.3, a release that was supposed to fix bugs and other problems but instead caused major problems to some users, such as the CUI errors and other application issues. Instead of downloading the smaller delta update, users are now made to download the combined update, meaning a bigger download of 1.34GB, almost double the original update’s size of 730.6MB
In their effort to make a single ID for each Sony services, the company has today announced to users, via email, that the PlayStation Network will be renamed the Sony Entertainment Network. The change is purely cosmetic, with your account details remaining the same, and the new name will come to PS3 and PS Vita via firmware update, but not PSP.
The video floated around on, ironically, Google’s YouTube, because of a leak from an internal sales conference last July, but now Microsoft has posted the scare-mongering crap on their official YouTube, Facebook and Twitter accounts. It’s Microsoft truly exploiting the fear caused by Google actually telling customers that they’re changing their privacy policy. And in my opinion, I’d much rather Google tell me in an easy way what they’re doing, which is what they’ve done, instead of just changing it and making me accept it in a harder-to-read slab of text, something Microsoft would probably do.
If you’ve been locked out of Google+, like me, because of age then today is your lucky day! Bradley Horowitz, Google+ VP, has announced, via Google+, that the new age restriction is 13+.
In December 2011 HP announced that webOS, the OS featured on their failed HP TouchPad and HP Veer and Pre3, would be open sourced. Well today HP has revealed a timeline of when developers and people who want the OS will be able to get their hands on it.
One thing that I’m getting a little sick of is people who stick up for Windows Phone, but haven’t actually used it full-time.
I remember first seeing when Windows Phone Series 7 was announced. I also remember eventually using it in store. It was smooth, fast and I really liked the look of metro. I was excited. Finally, an alternative to iOS and Android which….looks good!
Vimeo is today launching “Project Aurelia,” also known as a redesign, which gives the website a clean new look.
The new design brings a much bigger focus on the video, with less distractions on video pages, with a much larger player taking up a big portion of the screen. Not only does it look beautiful, but it’s also continuing the current trend of simplified designs instead of visually-noisy designs, such as the recent YouTube redesign which made the website more busy than simple.
Will.I.Am in a recent MegaUpload YouTube video.
If you’ve been trying to get onto MegaUpload or any of their subsidiaries, you might want to look elsewhere. Kim Dotcom (yes, that’s his real name) has been arrested in Auckland, New Zealand after the United States Justice Department filed charges against the company, calling it an “international organized criminal enterprise allegedly responsible for massive worldwide online piracy.” Along with Dotcom, three other MegaUpload executives have been arrested at the request of the US Government. DOJ also described the other three executives as “at large.”
This is absolutely insane. For a few days Reddit has been making news for their 12 hour blackout on Wednesday in protest of SOPA/PIPA.
Meanwhile, Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia, has been planning a much more drastic and mainstream protest for the controversial bill.
After Zune Pass, Songl and JB Hi-Fi Now’s launches in Australia, Rdio has shown that they want a piece of the music streaming revenue pie with the removal of geoblocks to Australia.
While there isn’t an official launch yet, the new removal of geoblocks to Australia means that users can now sign up for a 7-day free trial or the full subscription which doesn’t yet use local currency.
Aloneside the BD-ES6000, Samsung have announced the BD-ES65000, a larger, very similar model. Apart from the disc-to-digital software from the other model, Wi-Fi, DLNA, this model also has 2 HDMI ports, which is meant to streamline your devices into this player. So instead of plugging a console into the TV, you plug it into this.