News

Troye Sivan Australian Actor Comes Out On YouTube

10 August 2013 4:50 PM

A young Australian actor and YouTube star made a big announcement Wednesday on his YouTube page, which has nearly half a million subscribers.

Troye Sivan, 18, who played young James Howlett in “X-Men Origins: Wolverine“, released a video in which he told the world he’s gay.

“This is most nervous I’ve ever been in my entire life,” Sivan said in the clip. “It feels kind of weird to have to announce it like this on the Internet, but … this is not something that I’m ashamed of, and it’s not something anybody should have to be ashamed of, so why not share it with all of you guys?”

Sivan said he came out to his family on Aug. 7, 2010. He explained that his whole life, he knew he wasn’t like other boys.

“When I was born I always knew something was a little bit different about me,” he said.

Ultimately, Sivan said he hoped his video would provide hope for other gay and bisexual people, just the way he found comfort in YouTube confessions made by others when he was younger.

“Those people on YouTube, those brave, brave people on YouTube, without them, I don’t really know where I’d be,” he said.

Click the video above to watch a clip from Sivan’s confession, from his YouTube page.

Resources for teens:
http://www.thetrevorproject.org
http://www.trevorspace.org
http://www.hrc.org
http://www.minus18.org.au
http://www.glaad.org

Google Launches The $35 Chromecast Streaming Device To Bring Chrome To The Living Room

24 July 2013 8:39 PM

Meet the Chromecast. As the name suggests, it’s powered by Chrome and is designed to bring Google’s browser/OS to the biggest screen in the house.

The Chromecast is designed first to be a streaming device. It’s supposed to be the easiest way to get YouTube and Google Play and Netflix and Pandora and photos on HDTVs. Think Apple TV, but rather Google TV with another name (because, well, Google TV is already a thing).

The Chromecast is the first expansion of the Chrome operating system out of traditional forms of computing. Up until now, Chrome OS was a desktop operating system, designed for use on a laptop or monitor. Google retooled it for the living room and tapped mobile operating systems to provide the content.

Chromecast

Chromecast Streaming

The Chromecast uses an AirPlay-type system to provide content to the device. From Android or iOS, users simply hit a button on YouTube to load the video on the other screen. Quick and easy.

Chromecast is essentially Google’s answer to AirPlay. But it’s available on more than just one platform. It also features group playlists, continues playing the media back while the phone is doing other things and even streams while the device is asleep. The big downside is that, as of right now, this feature requires the Chromecast device — it’s not available on countless devices like AirPlay. At least not yet.

Best yet, any device can be the controller. Start a video on one device, turn it off, and another device can still control the video started. It appears to be seamless.

Desktops connected to the same network can also act as a controller. Click the cast button, the video will play and the computer will continue to play the media as it does other tasks.

The device itself is a small HDMI stick similar to the Roku Steaming Stick. It’s powered by USB and Google TV VP Mario Queiroz bragged that it features quick and easy setup.

The Chromecast is just $35 USD and is available today in the U.S only.

Outlook Web App comes to iOS devices in native form

17 July 2013 1:55 AM
Outlook Web App (c) M

Outlook Web App. (c) Microsoft Corporation

It hasn’t been hard to get Exchange support on iOS devices, but there’s some for whom third-party apps and web clients just won’t do. Microsoft has them covered today. – It just repackaged the Outlook Web App as a pair of native iOS releases. Both OWA for iPad and OWA for iPhone deliver email, calendar and contacts to Office 365 subscribers with access to Exchange Online. The developer is quick to note that this isn’t a recreation of the Windows Phone environment, and there are a few elements borrowed from Outlook’s web version. Still, we see a few reasons to give OWA a try: the native iOS software sends push notifications, takes voice commands, and supports both passcodes as well as remote wipes. Between the new apps and Office for iPhone, it’s clear that iOS users are now welcome in Microsoft’s world.

Source: Engadget

Xbox One drops used games and online requirement policies

19 June 2013 10:16 PM

Xbox One has changed its policies for used games and online connectivity for disc-based games.

In a bid to win over Sony’s PlayStation 4 the Xbox One console will no longer require to be online once every 24 hours, instead only needing an internet connection when initially setting up the system.

The Xbox One

Discs will function as they did on Xbox 360, with no restrictions on borrowing or selling used games.

“There will be no limitations to using and sharing games, it will work just as it does today on Xbox 360,” explained president of interactive entertainment Don Mattrick.

Full retail games bought from Xbox Live can also be played offline, and like today, can’t be resold or shared.

As with Xbox 360, any disc-based games on Xbox One must have the disc in the tray for them to run.

Region locking will also be lifted, meaning games from any region can be played on any console.

“Since unveiling our plans for Xbox One, my team and I have heard directly from many of you, read your comments and listened to your feedback,” said Mattrick.

“We have listened and we have heard loud and clear from your feedback that you want the best of both worlds. Thank you again for your candid feedback. Our team remains committed to listening, taking feedback and delivering a great product for you later this year.”

The used games and online requirement policies have been a big talking point since the console’s unveiling last month, with one research firm describing it as “deeply flawed”.

Microsoft previously hinted that games will be freely playable on Xbox One after the system’s demise.

Read Don Mattrick’s open letter in full http://news.xbox.com/2013/06/update

Twitter Introduces Two-Step Authentication

22 May 2013 9:13 PM

Twitter has finally introduced two-factor authentication to more securely protect accounts, the company announced Wednesday.

The move comes after a number of hacks of high-profile Twitter accounts, including The Onion, the Associated Press and E! Online. Jim O’Leary from Twitter’s product security team announced the new feature via a blog post, saying it is in response to accounts “occasionally” being compromised by phishing schemes or password breaches on other sites.

Twitter is calling the new feature “login verification.” It works similarly to other two-factor authentication systems, especially Google’s: After the account holder logs into an account, Twitter will send a special code to the user via SMS text message that the person must enter to gain access to the account.

Users can enable login verification via their Twitter settings page. You’ll need both a confirmed email address and a verified phone number on your account to use the feature, and the system will send a test message to finish the activation.

Importantly, apps that you’ve linked to Twitter will continue to work “without disruption,” O’Leary wrote. For apps other than a browser that require you to log into Twitter, you’ll need a one-time password, available on Twitter’s application page (this is also similar to how Google two-factor authentication works).

Twitter built login verification out of its Twitter for SMS feature, which has been around almost since the service debuted. O’Leary says the work the company put into the new feature will enable more security enhancements in the future.

Calls for Twitter to introduce some kind of two-step verification service grew louder after account hacks became a frequent occurrence. Besides the companies mentioned earlier, the BBC, the Financial Times, Burger King and Donald Trump have all experienced Twitter hacks in recent months.

Currently it’s not available in UK/France

Update 25-May-13 10:54PM: This feature is now available in the United Kingdom, you will need to add a phone to your Twitter account to enable this feature.