Pono Music Boasts Amazing Quality For Digital Music

TechBeat

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• Google Doubling Chrome OS Engineering Teams in Taiwan
• Cyber Security To Be Taught in UK Schools
• The Original Flappy Birds May Be Coming Back Soon
• FlashPlayer Update Has Expanded Options
• Pono Music Boasts Amazing Quality For Digital Music

Google Doubling Chrome OS Engineering Teams in Taiwan Posted: 15 Mar 2014 06:00 AM PDT In May 2011 Sundar Pichai, announced the launch of the Google Chrome OS research center in Taiwan.  The operation now requires more staff and Google has plans to double the number of engineers in its research center this year, as part of the tech giant's biggest recruitment project in the Taiwan. The Chrome OS team located in that branch is playing a “key role” in the global development of the operating system, said Chien Lee-feng MD, Google Taiwan.  He also said the center had become Google’s major research base for Chrome outside the United States. Chien Lee-feng declined to reveal the number of engineers currently in Taiwan or for that matter; just how many more Google plans to recruit this year.  He did reveal however, that the company is enthusiastic in its mission to find fresh graduates and experienced workers who have Linux-based developer skills.  “We expect to see more highly diversified Chrome devices this year…there is still much room for our Chrome OS team to make progress, and I think the main target for this year is to make better products.” he said at a local press briefing. This massive increase for the Chrome OS team is coming approximately three years after Google established the research and development center in Taiwan for Chrome OS. According to Google, the research center ethos differs from the standard notebook-manufacturing model, in that it aims to build a new operating ecosystem with Taiwan’s OEMs and ODMs. The Chrome OS is based around Google’s popular browser Chrome.  It offers an always-connected experience, which relies deeply on information and processing power from the cloud. If you have any sensible comments regarding this story, please leave your comments in the section below. [Image via wired] SOURCE: http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?id=20140312000058&cid=1206&MainCatID=12 The post Google Doubling Chrome OS Engineering Teams in Taiwan appeared first on TechBeat.

Cyber Security To Be Taught in UK Schools Posted: 15 Mar 2014 05:00 AM PDT The UK government has just outlined plans to teach children as young as 11 about careers in cyber-security. These new proposals were welcomed by the Cyber Security Skills Alliance. Speaking on its behalf, Sir David Pepper said a national shortage of cyber skills was “a key issue” for businesses and the government in dealing with “the growing threat from cyber-crime”. The Department for Business, Innovations and Skills has said that new learning materials would be offered to UK schools to announce jobs in that sector. A report recently started that limited awareness of cyber-security as a profession had created a skills shortage in that field with one expert saying the UK was at risk of being “left behind and at a disadvantage globally.” Security consultant Graham Cluley explained, "There’s no doubt that as more and more of our lives rely upon the internet, the need for a capable, security-savvy workforce increases…Of course, this goes beyond private enterprises…The authorities, including the police and intelligence agencies, need experts in computer security to combat online criminals and thwart internet attacks" He added: “My worry would be that public authorities will not have the budget to properly pay for cyber-security expertise, and the best talent will remain in silos in private enterprise instead.” The latest plans have outlined that teachers would be given training in how to enlighten children about this ever-evolving subject.  Universities and science minister David Willetts said, “Today countries that can manage cyber security risks have a clear competitive advantage…By ensuring cyber-security is integral to education at all ages, we will help equip the UK with the professional and technical skills we need for long-term economic growth.” The National Audit Office said only last month that a lack of skilled workers was hindering the UK’s wrestling against cyber-crime.  What is slightly worrying, is the watchdog had heard from experts who thought it could take “up to 20 years to address the skills gap”.  Additional to the learning materials required for the 11 to 14-age range, apprenticeship schemes for older pupils would be developed, along with work experience at 'relevant' firms. What do you think? Should we put more resources into cyber security?  Do you think we have a skills shortage? If you have any sensible comments regarding this story, please leave your comments in the section below. [Image via newsworks] SOURCE: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-26549266 The post Cyber Security To Be Taught in UK Schools appeared first on TechBeat.

The Original Flappy Birds May Be Coming Back Soon Posted: 15 Mar 2014 04:00 AM PDT If you keep up with the mobile gaming world, you’re more than likely all too familiar with the craze that was/is Flappy Birds. This insane game, where you tap a button to make a bird’s wings “flap” so it’ll fly in between Mario-looking pipes – was a hit no one really saw coming. Then, out of nowhere, the game’s creator, Dong Nguyen, decided to pull the game from mobile markets everywhere. Why would he do this when the game was netting him thousands of dollars a day? According to Nguyen, he believed the game was becoming way too addictive for people and he didn’t want to be known for being the person behind the addiction. And so he stood behind his convictions and shut down the game – to the dismay of fans everywhere. (Of course, if you still had the game installed on your device you could still play it). But now, there may be hope in the works for all those unfortunate souls who never downloaded the game in the first place; Flappy Birds, it seems, may soon be making a big comeback. Flappy Birds did indeed take the world by surprise. Phones that had the game installed have been showing up on sites such as eBay and Craigslist and selling for thousands of dollars. Nguyen recently participated in an interview with Rolling Stone Magazine where he stated that he’s considering putting the game back up on the market. It’ll still be the same game, but it will include messages which encourages players to take a break from time to time so as not to get too caught up in the craze. What do you think? Do you play Flappy Birds at all? I admit I played it once, but I didn’t quite enjoy it as much as everyone else seemed to. [Image via todaysiphone] SOURCE: http://www.theverge.com/2014/3/11/5496626/flappy-bird-creator-says-hes-considering-bringing-his-game-back The post The Original Flappy Birds May Be Coming Back Soon appeared first on TechBeat.

FlashPlayer Update Has Expanded Options Posted: 15 Mar 2014 03:00 AM PDT The newly released version of Adobe FlashPlayer offers an attractive user experience coupled with stacks of features. Users may now enjoy an improved digital experience available across numerous platforms and browsers for viewing Internet applications consisting of rich and vibrant content.  The new version offers runtime on Mac OS and Windows desktops. Google's Chrome browser previously has a built-in Adobe Flash Player and, as always, will automatically update when newer versions of Flash Player become available. As this release is only a beta version, it is prudent not to download the application for critical work, as the technology has not yet been finalised. So, before you install this version, it is most important that you uninstall previous versions of Adobe Flash Player. The Adobe FlashPlayer 13 version offers high quality content for the computer user. It is a key element in today's Internet use and, as previously mentioned, it is able to function on all operating systems and browsers as well as on portable devices, like smartphones and tablets. Though there is no apparent interface, users are able to access small windows, where they can create a set of expandable options, such as hardware acceleration and the ability to set privacy preferences, so that they can get improved experience. The new version (Adobe Flash Player 13) offers the user a better streaming experience for HD content that is of the highest quality. It will now be able to play HD videos smoothly in your browser's window, with no issues. Current devices and computers will effortlessly be able to exceed the hardware requirements that are required of Adobe Flash Player 13. However, some older workstations may experience some difficulty while accessing sites that are exclusively constructed using Flash. However, on nearly all modern devices, the runtime application is capable of bringing the highest quality content to your computer, without any interaction at all.  This software is a 'must have' client runtime that everybody should have on his or her computer. This new version offers the user an extended enhancement by delivering expressive content to the desktop as well as smartphones, tablets, notebooks and netbooks. Adobe Flash Player 13 offers support for mobile capabilities, such as support for multi touch and gestures as well as mobile input. HD video content is delivered with very small disbursement on mobile devices as well as on PCs. Developers may take advantage of the newest version to discover new ways of delivering rich media content. The minimum system requirements for the new version are; 2.33 GHz x 86 compatible processor. (Intel Atom 1.6 GHz processor for a netbook). RAM 512 MB, (1 GB is recommended for netbooks). The graphics memory required is 128 MB. [Image via tdicomputing] SOURCE: http://societyandreligion.com/adobe-flash-player-13-free-download-offering-expanded-options/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=adobe-flash-player-13-free-download-offering-expanded-options The post FlashPlayer Update Has Expanded Options appeared first on TechBeat.

Pono Music Boasts Amazing Quality For Digital Music Posted: 15 Mar 2014 02:00 AM PDT Neil Young’s mission to provide a device that delivers supreme sound quality has finally come to fruition; Pono Music can be available through Kickstarter now for just shy of $400. Pono Music is a bright triangular digital music player that delivers “studio master-quality digital music at the highest audio fidelity possible”, says Pono. The company also claims that the device enables you to “hear the nuances, the soft touches, and the ends on the echo – the texture and the emotion of the music the artist worked so hard to create.” Music is available through the PonoMusic.com Store and once purchased can be synced to the device by connecting the PonoPlayer micro USB to a computer. With two output jacks, you have the choice of listening to music either through headphones, a home audio system or in the car. The music player can “store from about 100 to 500 high-resolution digital-music albums” thanks to 128GB of memory but will hold more if you use a memory card. The touchscreen means you can easily navigate through the player’s content but there are a few phsical buttons as well. Pono says that it will provide “the finest quality, highest-resolution digital music from both major labels and prominent independent labels” but there have been no confirmed names of which labels. Hopefully there will plenty of music to choose from when the device is actually delivered. The first edition Black PonoPlayer can be pre-ordered on Kickstarter for $300, while the retail price will be $399. Expect the players to be shipped around October this year. The interesting debate is whether there really is a call for such a device. Some experts claim that the need for better sound quality would be solved better by re-introducing CD-quality audio. What do you think? [Image via Kickstarter] SOURCE: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1003614822/ponomusic-where-your-soul-rediscovers-music The post Pono Music Boasts Amazing Quality For Digital Music appeared first on TechBeat.