Since the NSA PRISM surveillance program leak larger tech companies like Google, Microsoft, and Facebook are under a trust crisis. Lots of users are under the impression that these sites aren’t safe enough, even though they have stringent privacy policies. Hence, many are looking for alternatives.
Microsoft’s Xbox One and Sony’s PlayStation 4 are pitted against each other in the gaming arena. Although PS4 is priced lower than Xbox One, it seems that both consoles are on the same page when it comes to first-party titles. The first-party games for both Xbox One and PS4 cost $59.99 each.
Although the US government has long been legally asking different companies to divulge data, these companies are usually bound by FISA courts not to reveal the details of such requests. Google has now filed a motion against such gag orders, invoking the First Amendment.
Following in the footsteps of Microsoft, Facebook and Apple, Yahoo has also set out to reveal the number of data requests that it has received from the US government. According to the company, it received more than 12,000 such requests over the course of six months.
Yahoo is in buying spree. Last week, the internet company bought iOS camera app maker GhostBird. It was preceded by the much discussed $1.1 billion Tumblr deal. This time, we’re hearing about a $30 to $40 million buyout offer to social email startup Xobni.
Microsoft has finally rolled out the option of sending video messaging through Skype. The option is available on a number of devices, including many mobile platforms. Ironically enough, Microsoft’s own Windows Phone platform only partially supports this feature for now.
We recently reported that companies such as Microsoft and Facebook have come out with detailed numbers regarding the government requests they have received over six months. Now, Apple has followed suite, revealing the government requests it has received between Dec 1, 2012 and May 31, 2013.
We have been hearing about an update to Microsoft’s Windows 8 for quite some time. However, so far, Microsoft hasn’t dished out a significant upgrade. Alleged screenshots from Windows 8.1 have now surfaced, depicting apps redesigns for Xbox Music and Movie Moments apps.