Bcstevieb

BitTorrent has been convincing increasingly high-profile partners to sell music, movies, TV shows, and other content through its Bundles, and today it's announcing its first deal with a major network: the BBC. The BBC is using BitTorrent Bundle — BitTorrent's slightly convoluted method of legally selling and distributing content using a peer-to-peer network — to sell a Doctor Who package that spans the series' modern run. There's a free preview that includes a video of Peter Capaldi, the current Doctor, introducing the 10-episode package. Then, if you pay $12, you'll receive downloads or streams of 10 episodes that range from its 2005 return to a highlight from Capaldi's run last year, as well as a few bonus videos.

The BBC has put the...

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Keeping cords, wires and lines organized is a heck of a thing. These handy silicone gear ties help me stay organized.

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Apple's deals with music labels are being examined by EU regulators, according to a report by the Financial Times. A number of music companies have received questionnaires about their agreements with the iPhone maker. These are thought to concern the launch of Apple's upcoming music streaming service, which is built off the back of its $3 billion acquisition of Beats and thought to be launching this summer.

The FT notes that this sort of scrutiny is usually triggered by a formal complaint to the European Commission — which deals with competition issues and represents the interests of the EU as a whole — although at this point, the probe is only exploratory and does not mean that the EU has launched an official antitrust investigation.

a...

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Attention: the following roundup contains absolutely no mention of the new release of Google Reader... because that happened in April. But it does have some great picks for new apps from March, including our top seven and a handful of honorable mentions. News readers, social tools, and root-only apps are covered, plus some diagnostic tools for tech heads. And if customization is your thing, check out the honorable mentions section for cool icons and live wallpapers.

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[App Roundup] Our Top Seven Picks For The Best New Apps Of March 2015 was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

March doesn't have any new blockbuster titles for you to check out, but there are a lot of interesting indies in the following list. For speed and twitch freaks, we've got Fotonica, one of the most unique runner games I've ever come across. Fans of humorous adventure can check out a new take on Hamlet, and strategy gamers have an impressive but unfortunately single-player only option in Frozen Synapse. Investigate these and other favorites, along with some honorable mentions, below.

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[Game Roundup] Our Top Seven Picks For The Best New Games Of March 2015 was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

Many people credit Dave Ramsey’s “Total Money Makeover” approach to personal finance for helping them get in control of their money. EveryDollar is Ramsey’s new free budgeting and financial goal tracking tool.

Granted, creating a budget isn’t that difficult, and we’ve even featured Ramsey’s own free guide on the subject before. But there are more than a few approaches to budgeting and several tools you could use. EveryDollar is one of the simplest and most straightforward I’ve seen, not to mention easy on the eyes.

Main categories are already chosen for you, and as you allocate your income, you can see how much you are left to budget. This follows the “Zero sum” (or “give every dollar a name”) philosophy. Click the arrow to the next month and your budgeted amounts are conveniently copied over.

The Baby Steps portion of the tool tracks how you’re progressing according to Ramsey’s 7 steps, from saving $1,000 for your emergency fund and using the debt snowball method to paying off the house and leaving an inheritance.

While EveryDollar is free, to get actual financial tracking for your budget and connect your financial accounts, you’ll need EveryDollar Plus, which costs $99 a year. With Plus, you can drag and drop to match transactions to your budget categories, but if you’re a Mint user, you won’t likely need this. Still, the budgeting tool is handy (and can help you create a better budget for use in other programs).

EveryDollar via TheSpectrum

Windows/Mac/Android/iOS: When it first launched, Infinit was a great way to share files between Macs. Now a set of apps for iOS and Android make it so you can send files between your devices even easier.

What’s nice about Infinit is that there’s no limit to file sizes, so you can send massive videos or a ton of images without worrying about anything. You can also share those files between any device or with any of your contacts in a snap. It’s fast, too, especially when you’re transferring large video files. Infinit’s minimal design makes it pretty easy to use, which is handy when you’re just trying to quickly get a video from your computer to your phone.

Infinit (Free)

While Google's Chromebooks are finding a measure of success in certain markets, Chrome OS hasn't exactly found much traction in other form factors, like the Mac mini-esque Chromebox or all-in-one Chromebase. That's not stopping Acer from offering up its own take on the all-in-one desktop — the company just announced its own Chromebase. Unlike the Chromebase that LG first introduced in late 2013, this one has a new hardware trick — its 21.5-inch, 1080p display is a giant touchscreen.

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Top 100 April Fool's Day Hoaxes Of All Time

‘Bout that time again, eh chaps? That’s right-o, it’s April Fool’s Day Again. But you’ve got stuff to do. You don’t have time for any funny business. So we’re here to collect all the best (or worst) gags in one place so you can get it out of your system and on with your life.

We’ll be updating this post throughout the day with any new pranks we find. Meanwhile, you can submit your own in the discussions below. And, as always, have fun with the day and don’t be a dick.

Take it Away, Google

Google Maps: PAC-Maps: Over the years, we’ve updated Google Maps to make it more accurate, comprehensive and useful. From imagery of the coffee shop down the road to the Taj Mahal, or turn-by-turn navigation that helps you get to your first date on time or find your way to a famous landmark...we’ve worked hard to give people the best possible experience of the world around them. And today we’re introducing our most ambitious update yet: PAC-Maps.

Continuing Google’s time-honored tradition of fun gags that double as guided missiles aimed straight at your productivity’s kneecaps.

Chrome Selfies: Want to express how you feel, but don’t have the words? Today, we’re launching #ChromeSelfie so you can share your reaction to any story, picture or search result instantly.

I hope you find the very concept of selfies funny. If not, you’re in for a rough day.

Smartbox by Inbox: Mail is a wondrous thing. From the early days of the homing pigeon to the herculean efforts of the Pony Express, mail has connected us for generations. The advent of email brought the world even closer together. And yet, despite this leap forward, physical mail still just sits there. In a box. All day.

“Smartbox by Inbox” is, of course, short for “Smartbox by Inbox by Gmail by Google by God, How Long Is This Name?”

Google Panda: With state of the art emotional and conversational intelligence, Google Panda changes the face of search. From the smallest child to the grandparent who’s never used a computer, anyone who can ask a question can own and love a Google Panda.

This is how the robots will take over: by being cute and cuddly. Same strategy cats used. When will mankind learn?

https://com.google: .yadot elbaliava ,elgoog.moc//:ptth ecudortni ot duorp er’ew ,tirips taht nI .sdrawkcab kool ot tnatropmi s’ti semitemos tub ,daeha s’tahw tuoba gnikniht syawla er’eW

lol what is life

ThinkGeek Makes Everyone Sad These Products Aren’t Real...Again

Game of Thrones Clue: The plot of Game of Thrones in both its book and HBO television series incarnations involves a mess of murders, which makes it a perfect fit for a board game like Clue. Game of Thrones Clue plays just like classic Clue, but with GoT-themed goodness bundled in.

The classic game of “Whodunit?”, except everyone dies and the only suspect is George R.R. Martin.

EnCounter - Wearable Interactive Quest: Sometimes you feel like you’re in your own little world. And with EnCounter - Wearable Interactive Quest, you can be.

It’s like if you put Dungeons and Dragons and Ingress into a blender and poured the resulting smoothie into Leela’s arm thingy. Wait, that sounds awesome.

Groot Beer and Rocket Fuel: Groot and Rocket Raccoon have a very unique friendship. One is quite calm and grounded (he is a tree, after all) and one is smaller and much more hyper. And yet, put the two together and you have instant, galactic besties! In celebration of this friendship (and to conquer the vile villain known as thirst), we’re proud to present this GotG Collector’s Edition Groot Beer and Rocket Fuel Two-Pack.

Omg, the Rocket Fuel even hangs from the neck of the bottle. And these friggin fireflies. Augh. This is the part where it stops being fun and starts being disappointing that this isn’t real, ThinkGeek.

Steam-Powered Gaming Cabinet: Steam is one of the best ways to find and play video games - especially if you like playing with a vibrant community of players. We love Steam. We love Steam so much, we had to be one of the companies who developed our own Steam Machine. But we wanted to make sure that our console was something special - something different. We sent a missive to Captain Jules (our favorite Time Pirate) and he found us the perfect configuration for our Steam Machine. Presenting the Steam-Powered Gaming Cabinet!

ThinkGeek took our suggestion to roll your own Steam Machine a bit too literally.

Do It YourSelfie 360° Selfie Rig: The Do It YourSelfie 360° Selfie Rig is a torso-mounted rig to allow you to take full 360° selfies. Of course, you’ll need to supply your own cameras (GoPros work great), but this rig will make sure they are all properly spaced, supported, and aimed.

Keanu Reeves not included.

Voltron Cat Condo: From days of long ago, from uncharted regions of the universe, comes a legend; the legend of Voltron, Defender of the Universe, a mighty cat condo, loved by good, feared by evil. As Voltron’s legend grew, peace settled across the galaxy. On Planet Earth, a Galaxy Alliance was formed. Together with the good pets of the solar system, they maintained peace throughout the universe, until a new horrible menace threatened the galaxy: stale kibble. Voltron was needed once more.

They thought the Thundercats Condo was a bit too on-the-cute-little-button-nose.

Power Wheels Desert Drifters: Have you noticed your child likes to play with cars, but in a very violent and anarchistic way? Do they set up elaborate chases complete with explosions and insane vehicular stunts? Think your young child could be the next Max Rockatansky (commonly known as Mad Max)? Well, it’s time to find out with these Power Wheels Desert Drifters!

It’s every parent’s responsibility to prepare their children for the post-apocalyptic hellscape that awaits us all. Now they can do it with style!

Game of Thrones Hodor Travel Buddy: The world out there is complicated. It’s good knowing someone has your back. With our new GoT Hodor Travel Buddy, you will feel like you are traveling with a trusted friend.

Hodor.

The Selfie Section

#MotoSelfieStick: A selfie is only as good as its stick.

For the sophisticated selfie photographer with many leather-bound books.

Capital One Selfie Spots: #Selfie celebrations will be official from next season. Opposition players to get a yellow card for photobombing.

What they don’t tell you is that yellow card comes with a bunch of hidden fees.

Miz Mooz Selfie Shoes: At Miz Mooz, we understand the importance of looking great without giving up the comfort our women on-the-go have come to love about our footwear. Introducing the Selfie Shoes.

Contain your zeal for talking selfies while wearing the Selfie Shoes, lest you launch your phone into the river.

Jokes That Aren’t About Selfies

MS-DOS Mobile: All the productivity you’ve come to expect from Microsoft in the simplest OS yet.

Still better than WinMo.

Samsung Galaxy Blade Edge: The Galaxy BLADE edge was designed with diamonds in mind. It not only features a beautiful diamond-cut finish on its tough ceramic body, but is also equipped with a razor-sharp diamond edge, tough enough to cut through a lobster tail and sharp enough to slice though tender heirloom tomatoes.

Also slices battery life so thin, you won’t even know it was ever on.

T-Mobile Pets Unleashed: Only T‑Mobile gives you Pets Un‑leashed, a revolutionary way to keep every member of your family connected—no matter how many legs they have. Now you can add a pet to your existing Simple Choice™ Plan for just $5 per month!

T-Mobile, allowing your pets to roam without leashes is against the law! Your wild, maverick-y ways will surely get you in trouble.

DocSend Dachsund: Bringing you all the power of DocSend to physical documents. Say goodbye to those postage stamps. We’ve got you covered.

Sounds like a good idea. Way better than the foxes we had to use back in the Mel Brooks days.

iFaxIt: Today, we’re proud to introduce iFaxit. It’s bleeding-edge technology: the world’s first on-demand repair guide delivery service using the most modern facsimile technology.

Somewhere in a parallel universe, Blockbuster tried to start a legit service like this for game guides, went bankrupt even faster.

Petbox: Petbox carries the latest movies and games your pet will want to sit and stay for.

I can accept that Redbox isn’t going to have a special section for pet movies. What I can’t accept is that Newt at the Museum and Goatbusters aren’t real films.

Jukebox: An unbelievable achievement has been made, bringing together both the print and technology industries. You’ll be amazed with this technical advancement beyond anything you’ve seen before: Business cards that take photographs with a built in touchscreen camera!

In the video above, our own Alan Henry got to demo these insane paper-thin, camera-equipped business cards from Jukeb-HEY WAIT A SECOND.

Amazon Dash Button: Keep Dash Button handy in the kitchen, bath, laundry, or anywhere you store your favorite products. When you’re running low, simply press Dash Button and Amazon quickly delivers household favorites at the same low prices offered on Amazon.com, so you can skip the last-minute trip to the store.

I have to admit, this one was a pretty clever gag from Amazo-...wait, hang on. This one’s actually real.

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Want to see what was popular in years gone past? Here are some of the best April Fool’s pranks from 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, and 2010.

Mike Weatherley, a Conservative MP and Intellectual Property Adviser to UK Prime Minister David Cameron, has pushed various copyright related topics onto the political agenda since early last year.

Previously Weatherley suggested that search engines should blacklist pirate sites, kids should be educated on copyright ethics, and that persistent file-sharers should be thrown in jail.

In his latest proposal the UK MP targets information society service providers (ISSPs) including ISPs, who he believes could do more to fight piracy. The just-released 18-page report stresses that these companies have a moral obligation to tackle copyright infringement and can’t stand idly by.

The report (pdf) draws on input from various pro-copyright groups including the MPAA, BPI, and the Music Publishers Association. It offers various recommendations for the UK Government and the EU Commission to strengthen their anti-piracy policies.

One of the key points is to motivate Internet services and providers to filter content proactively. According to the report it’s feasible to “filter out infringing content” and to detect online piracy before it spreads.

The UK Government should review these systems and see what it can do to facilitate cooperation between copyright holders and Internet service providers.

“There should be an urgent review, by the UK Government, of the various applications and processes that could deliver a robust automated checking process regarding illegal activity being transmitted,” Weatherley advises.

In a related effort, Weatherley notes that Internet services should not just remove the content they’re asked to, but also police their systems to ensure that similar files are removed, permanently.

“ISSPs to be more proactive in taking down multiple copies of infringing works, not just the specific case they are notified of,” he recommends.

“This would mean ISSPs actively taking down multiple copies of the same work which are hosted on its services, not just the individual copy which is subject to the complaint. The MPA believe this principle could be extended further still to ensure that all copies of the infringing work are not just taken down…,” Weatherley explains.

This type of filtering is already used by YouTube, which takes down content based on fingerprint matches. However, the report suggests that regular broadband providers could also filter infringing content.

Concluding, Weatherley admits that it’s all too easy to simply demand that ISPs take the role of policemen, but at the same time he stresses that they have a “moral responsibility” to do more.

The UK MP presents an analogy of a landlord whose property is used for illegal activities. The landlord cannot be held liable for these activities, but he may have to take action if a third-party reports it.

“If the landlord is told that the garage is being used for illegal activity, and that this information is from a totally reliable source, then does the landlord have a moral obligation to report it?”

“I would argue that it is the duty of every citizen or company to do what they can to stop illegal activity and therefore the answer is, yes, the landlord should report the activity,” Weatherley notes.

Weatherley also believes that protecting the rights of copyright holders has priority over a “no monitoring” principle that would ensure users’ privacy. That is, if the monitoring is done right.

“There is also the question as to whether society will want to have their private activities monitored (even if automatically and entirely confidentially) and whether the trade off to a safer, fairer internet is a price worth paying to clamp down on internet illegal activity. My ‘vote’ would be “yes” if via an independent body …”

Overall, the recommendations will be welcomed by the industry groups who provided input. The report is not expected to translate directly into legislation, but they will be carefully weighed by the UK Government and the EU Commission when taking future decisions.

Source: TorrentFreak, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, torrent sites and anonymous VPN services.

 The Alcatel OneTouch Watch, which got its debut at CES this year, is officially going on sale today with pre-orders starting at $149.99 directly from the company’s U.S. website. The smartwatch is unique among those from larger OEMs in that it works with both iOS and Android smartphones, packing in support for health monitoring features, phone notifications and music controls on both kinds… Read More

 Given the world’s shift toward video, both in terms of consumption and creation, it’s almost surprising how tedious and painstaking the process of post-production collaboration can be. Lots of services focus on pieces of the problem, like accelerated file sharing or review in-progress collaboration, but there isn’t really a service that covers everything, end-to-end.… Read More

Your neighborhood just got a lot more interesting. Google has released a new feature for Maps that lets you turn any location into a game of Pac-Man — all you have to do is click the new Pac-Man button that resides in the lower left corner of the screen. When you do, whatever section of the world you're looking at will transform into the pixelated arcade classic, complete with four colorful ghosts and the iconic music. While developers have created similar hacks before, this version of Google Maps Pac-Man comes directly from Google, and even supports mobile devices. This isn't the first time Google has mixed video games and Maps in time for April Fools' Day, as last year the company let you catch Pokemon using its mapping tool. As for P...

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 IBM is wasting little time when it comes to the Internet of Things. The company outlined a major Internet of Things strategy tonight with a series of announcements that included a $3B investment to establish an Internet of Things unit inside of Big Blue along with a partnership with The Weather Company. The Internet of Things refers to the growing network of sensors on everything from… Read More

LG has sent out invitations to events on April 28th and 29th in New York, London, Paris, Seoul, Singapore, and Istanbul, at which it's likely to announce its latest flagship smartphone. The tagline is "See the Great. Feel the Great," with the "G" rendered as the logo used for the company's G series phones.

Last May, LG launched the G3 in the same six cities after sending an invite with similar hints. This time around, though, the invite is etched on what looks to be a notebook. One can only hope that the presumed G4 doesn't take its design cues from 2013-era Samsung fake stitching.

Whatever LG has in store for us, we'll be on hand to bring you the news on April 28th.

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For companies whose trade is measured in digital 1s and 0s, the tech giants of Silicon Valley seem pretty keen on having physical reminders of their success in the form of majestic headquarters. The latest example comes from Facebook, with Mark Zuckerberg announcing this week that the company has officially moved into its new digs: a 430,000-square foot warehouse designed by architectural superstar Frank Gehry and nicknamed "MPK20" (code for Menlo Park, building 20).

The building is basically one massive room and boasts the largest open floor plan in the world — a single area where thousands of people can work at once. There are smaller spaces for private work as well, and employees can always head to the 9-acre park located on MPK20's...

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Microsoft is releasing a preview of its Internet Explorer successor, Project Spartan, today. The new browser, which will be the default web experience in Windows 10, is part of an update to the PC Windows 10 preview. Microsoft promised faster builds for testers, and it’s delivering on that promise today. After less than two weeks, Windows 10 testers can now download a new build (10049)that will include the Project Spartan browser. If you’re already running a preview version of Windows 10 then it’s available immediately from Windows Update, otherwise you can join the Windows Insider program to test Project Spartan and Windows 10.

While Microsoft demonstrated a variety of Project Spartan features back in January, not all of them are...

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Welcome to the roundup of the best new Android applications, games, and live wallpapers that went live in the Play Store or were spotted by us in the previous 2 weeks or so.

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Expense IQ - Expense Manager

This week's roundup is brought to you by Expense IQ - Expense Manager from Handy Apps.

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32 New And Notable Android Games From The Last 2 Weeks (3/17/15 - 3/30/15) was written by the awesome team at Android Police.