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Five video game trends from E3 2013

Five video game trends from E3 2013 LOS ANGELES -- Wrapping the second day of the Electronic Entertainment Expo, a few trends have started to emerge in how players will consume their video games in the future. Here's a look at five trends that Post to FacebookPosted!A link has been posted to your Facebook feed. Sent!A link has been sent to your friend's email address. USA TODAY's Mike Snider and Brett Molina talk games on day 2 of the Electronics Entertainment Expo currently underway at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Video produced by Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY A replica of a robot from the video game Titanfall stands in the lobby area as show attendees wait in line to enter the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles.(Photo: Jae C. Hong, AP)LOS ANGELES -- Wrapping the second day of the Electronic Entertainment Expo, a few trends have started to emerge in how players will consume their video games in the future.Here's a look at five trends that are standing out.1. Blurring lines between single, multiplayer. Most video games maintain separate locations for their single-player, cooperative and multiplayer game modes. But some upcoming titles such as Bungie's Destiny, Respawn's Titanfall and Need For Speed will offer seamless gameplay experiences. Players may tackle a mission solo, then jump into an event with friends without worrying about shutting down and entering a new game mode.2. Sharing game clips will get easier. Every console boasts an option to record footage from a game and share it with friends. Xbox One will include a game DVR, while PS4 will boast a similar feature, and even Nintendo will allow Mario Kart 8 players to upload their favorite moments to the Miiverse. 3. Everything is moving open world. Countless video games announced during E3 are moving to an…
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Comcast introduces new X2 set-top box operating system

Comcast introduces new X2 set-top box operating system Comcast introduced Tuesday its new set-top box operating system, due out late this fall, that will contain more personalization features that the company hopes will discourage customers from wandering over to other streaming services. Post to FacebookPosted!A link has been posted to your Facebook feed. Sent!A link has been sent to your friend's email address. A sign stands in front of a Comcast customer service center on August 3, 2011 in Oakland, California.(Photo: Justin Sullivan Getty Images)Story HighlightsIt contains more personalization features, including show recommendations and FacebookMenu items are shown in more intuitive tile formatVoice command in remote control allows verbal searchWASHINGTON - Comcast introduced Tuesday its new set-top box operating system, due out late this fall, that will contain more personalization features that the company hopes will discourage customers from wandering over to other streaming services. Introduced at the National Cable and Telecommunications Association's Cable Show 2013 conference, the X2 is an upgrade over Comcast's current X1 platform and focuses on TV recommendations based on viewing habits, online content from Comcast's partners and personal social media accounts. "It allows that whole interactivity that we've never seen before," said Comcast CEO Brian Roberts at his presentation on Tuesday.Its main dashboard - laid out in a tile format - will allow direct access to recorded and bookmarked shows, as well as Facebook, Pandora and other online media.Information screens for movies will include reviews by Rotten Tomatoes. A partnership with Zeebox, a social media site for TV viewers, will show a live feed of the Twitter buzz about television shows. Common Sense Media, an advocacy organization that studies technology's effect on children, will provide age recommendations for shows in X2's "Kids" section.The system also includes a voice command function on the remote control that…
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New products: Alva+ bike is a battery-powered joyride

The Alva bike is $3,400.(Photo: A2B)Story HighlightsAlva+ bike lets you ride without pedalingPowerTrip portable charger is solar-poweredKinivo lets you control playlists, connects to audio devicesThis weekly roundup takes a look at the practical and sometimes quirky aspects of tech products.This is one powerful bicycleDo you want to bike around town and turn heads while doing it? Then take a spin on the Alva+, the latest version of the Alva e-bike from A2B. Let's be upfront about one thing: At $3,400, the Alva+ is not the bike that you can casually park in front of the store while you grab a candy bar — unless you travel with your own security guards. But this is a bike that anyone who wants something cool and fast will covet. Here's why: The Alva+ looks like a chic version of something you might see someone riding along the seashore — its handlebars, for example, are the standard kind you would see on a mountain bike rather than on a racing bike. Thanks to a battery-powered 500-watt motor embedded in the rear wheel — the bike turns on with an electronic key and charges by plugging into a wall socket — it can be pedaled and kicked up to 24 mph when you simply maneuver the grip on the right handlebar, much like shifting a gear on a regular bike. That's when it gets really fun. On several recent spins, passersby literally stared as we climbed steep hills without pedaling.[1]The lithium-ion battery contains enough juice to let you roam up to 40 miles if you'd like, and just as silently as you would on a standard bike. One of the many neat things about this bike is it gives you just enough "oomph" when you don't want to pedal. So, if you've always wanted to…
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Microsoft engages cybergang that stole $500 million

The cybercrime infrastructure: botnets(Photo: Shutterstock)Microsoft has orchestrated the bust-up of another top-tier botnet operation. These bad guys – operators of the sprawling Citadel botnet -- make the fictional band of sophisticated thieves from the movie Ocean's 11 look like amateurs. Authorities estimate they've scored more than $500 million from banks in the United States and abroad by accessing online accounts and rerouting funds. The software giant and the FBI, working with law enforcement and tech officials from some 80 countries, knocked out 1,000 of 1,400 of the Citadel botnets. A botnet is a collection of hundreds to thousands of infected PCs that respond to commands routed through a command-and-control server, which is also an infected PC. The bad guys running Citadel commanded as many as 5 million infected PCs, making Citadel one of the biggest botnet operations fueling spam, denial of service attacks and cyberespionage. Citadel botnets supplied the computing power to steal from American Express, Bank of America, Citigroup, Credit Suisse, eBay's PayPal, HSBC, JPMorgan Chase, Royal Bank of Canada and Wells Fargo, among dozens of others.The civil lawsuit Microsoft filed in the U.S. District Court in Charlotte, North Carolina identifies the ringleader as John Doe No. 1, aka Aquabox. Investigators believe Aquabox is based somewhere in Europe and directs at least 81 helpers who run the botnets. Background detail: How to pull off an Ocean's 11-like cyberheist.[1]Legal maneuvers: Microsoft has perfected a way to use civil courts to trip up cybergangs.[2] Because Citadel is programmed to leave online banking accounts in the Ukraine or Russia alone, it's likely the gang members are based there. Microsoft deserves credit for developing a process the respects laws and encourages law enforcement co-operation across multiple borders. That includes co-ordinating with ISPs and hosting services to cripple identify and cripple active botnets. The…
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Reviewed.com: Nikon's P520 camera handles video well

When Nikon's Coolpix P510[1] was announced in February of 2012, well... it blew some minds. Its 42x zoom design, capable of a whopping 1000mm (equivalent) at full telephoto, crammed previously inconceivable reach into a remarkably compact package. But just seven months later, Canon parried with the SX50 HS[2] and its massive 50x zoom—a feat that's since been matched by Fuji's FinePix SL1000[3]. While we have no doubt that we'll see 60x and probably even 70x designs in the future, Nikon has apparently decided (at least for the moment) that length isn't everything. The new Coolpix P520 (MSRP $449.95) retains the same 42x zoom of its predecessor but ups the sensor resolution, puts a fully articulating hinge on the 3.2-inch LCD, and makes a few less notable tweaks. Sounds like a pretty minor update, right? That's because it is—Nikon isn't doing anything revolutionary here. But the fact is, we really liked the P510, and to be frank we'd be pretty happy with some small improvements to image quality and usability. So we put the new model through its paces in our labs and some real-world shooting scenarios (including a trip to the Australian V8 Supercars race in Austin, Texas) to find out if it can improve on what's come before. The P520's massive zoom range allows you to zero in on details you'd otherwise never notice. Design & Handing Have you seen the P510? Then you've seen the P520. The P520 is every inch the prototypical superzoom camera, from its DSLR-wannabe shape and control scheme to its stupendous telephoto reach. The materials—mostly textured polycarbonate, with a few glossy plastic touches—and construction are a cut above most compact cameras. Notable high points include a surprisingly comfortable grip, a mode dial that includes all the PASM modes along with a custom user setting,…
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Apache OpenOffice Hits 50 Million Downloads in One Year

Apache OpenOffice Hits 50 Million Downloads in One Year
OpenOffice is the free solution to those who do not have or cannot afford the Microsoft Office Suite. In fact, I just recommended it to two of my son’s classmates who had lost data on the school server using Word. It is easy to download, looks like Microsoft, is compatible with Microsoft products, and is free. Hard to believe that a company would be so giving? Read on…   When downloading the latest version of Apache OpenOffice, users are given an opportunity to donate to the OpenOffice project. The project strives to provide free productivity applications on a global scale. They are seeking contributors for a variety of jobs, including coding, bug fixing, and design. OpenOffice offers a volunteer orientation for those unsure of how to help as well as a student page for students to contribute as part of their school projects. In other words, they seek volunteerism as donation, rather than fiscal donations. Any fiscal donations go toward the technical infrastructure. This is a huge non-profit project that has gained Apache an amazing following. 50 million downloads of the latest version of OpenOffice was hit within one week of the anniversary of the release of OpenOffice 3.4 on May 8, 2012. It is also significant that Apache OpenOffice is the number one free and open source office application suite for Windows, Mac, and Linux. The first version was released in May of 2002. It is offered in more than 50 languages. OpenOffice is not the only open source software that Apache offers, but it is the most widely used. You may have heard of SpamAssassin, a free spam blocker software that is used on college campuses and in small businesses as well as personal computers to reduce spam. Many more open source programs are available through Apache as…
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