Tuesday 18 August 2015

Over 50,000 recommend full net neutrality on government portal

At last count on Sunday, the responses to the report on the mygov.in portal were 52,172, a far cry from around 700 comments posted on August 14, and increasing by the minute. The deadline for submitting comments has been extended to August 20 from August 15. Net neutrality is a principle that guarantees consumers equal and non-discriminatory access to all data, apps and services on internet, with no discrimination on basis of tariffs or speed.

"It is important to participate because a lot of confusion has been created around the definition of net neutrality. No specific/particular content under the garb of 'access for all' should have competitive advantage over other content," said Nikhil Pahwa, the founder of Delhi-based online portal Medianama and the prime mover behind the net neutrality campaign.

The government had placed the report of the panel set up by telecom minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on net neutrality for public viewing and comments on the mygov website. The government, which has repeatedly backed net neutrality publicly, will firm up regulation on the much-debated subject after considering public opinion and the views of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).

"We don't want net neutrality to be defined by telecom companies...We want to be able to access anything, at any time, without having to pay more for it separately," commented Prajwal Kumar. "We don't want licensing for Whatsapp, Viber, Skype or any other VOIP applications."

Sandeep Kumar, another netizen, wanted the internet to be a place which was free and accessible at any time by anyone.

"It's (the internet) best left untouched. Don't kill new innovation. Like the Prime Minister rightly said, let's start up and stand up. For that leave internet free and fair," he added.

The telecom department panel has batted for an open and unregulated regime for several over the top (OTT) services but proposed regulating local and national calls over VoIP (voice over internet) apps such as WhatsApp and Skype, a move that would result in consumers paying for them, possibly making them as expensive as calls made on mobile.

"Domestic OTT voice communication services should not be licensed. VoIP services cannot realistically serve as substitutes for traditional PSTN services, and are seen as secondary services in adjunction to PSTN," said Prasanth Sugathan of SFLC.in, a not-for-profit organization for legal services working to protect civil liberties in the digital world.

"Moreover, OTTs do not own telecom infrastructure such as network cables and spectrum. Licensing in such a scenario will create regulatory encumbrances in the free market, discouraging new entrants," he added.

The DoT panel has also said no tariff plan which allows blocking, throttling and prioritization of content should be permitted. But it has left it to the TRAI to decide whether any tariff plan, including the controversial zero rating plan, violates the principles of net neutrality. Controversially, it has proposed a 'deemed approval clause', if the regulator does not decide within reasonable period of time. Complaints on tariff plans will be dealt with on a case by case basis through an adjudicatory process to be specified by the regulator.

"Zero-rated services must not be treated merely as tariff arrangements, and must be prohibited across the board. All zero-rated services will invariably act as gatekeepers to the internet, impacting healthy competition," Sugathan said.

TRAI in April had received over a million comments on its paper over net neutrality with majority demanding implementation of a free internet. The new TRAI chairman RS Sharma has said that the regulator will bring out recommendations on the subject in two to three months.

Xiaomi sells a whopping 800,000 Redmi Note 2 handsets in just 12 hours

Xiaomi launched the Redmi Note 2 in China last week. The phablet went on sale yesterday, and the company managed to sell 800,000 handsets in just 12 hours, creating a record of sorts.
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Xiaomi announced its record-breaking feat on Weibo, and also announced that the phablet will go on sale again on August 24. Before that, Xiaomi is hosting a global launch event in New Delhi on August 19, where it will release MIUI 7. You can check out all the new features arriving with the new ROM here. Additionally, Xiaomi is also widely expected to launch the Redmi Note 2 in India as well.
Xiaomi launched the Redmi Note 2, alongside the Redmi Note 2 Prime in China last week. The former is priced at RMB 899 (Rs 9,103 approximately), while the slightly better variant is priced at RMB 999 (Rs 10,100 approximately).
The phablet features a 5.5-inch 1080p display, 2GHz MediaTek Helio X10 octa-core 64-bit processor, 2GB of RAM, and 16GB internal storage. The Redmi Note 2 Prime, on the other hand, is powered by a 2.2GHz MediaTek Helio X10 octa-core 64-bit processor and features 32GB internal storage.
The phablet also features a 13-megapixel rear camera, 5-megapixel OmniVision selfie camera, 3,060mAh battery, and connectivity options like dual-SIM card slots, 4G LTE support. On the software front, it runs on Android Lollipop-based MIUI 7 out-of-the-box.

Windows 10 Now Used by More Than 50 Million People

For years, Windows' adoption rate has been the subject of constant jabbing and shaming for Microsoft, but this year rival companies will have to find some other thing to mock the Redmond giant about. That's because Microsoft's latest desktop operating system Windows 10 is doing pretty well. In two weeks since its release, more than 50 million users are said to be on the company's latest desktop operating system.
Microsoft released Windows 10 in 190 countries on July 29 as a free upgrade for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users, as well as new device owners. The company a day later reported that as many as 14 million users had downloaded and installed the latest desktop operating system version. Microsoft enthusiast website WinBeta reports that the number has climbed up to 50 million now, no doubt helped by the free upgrade.
To put the number into perspective, a 50-million-user count is an impressive figure. Windows 7, the most popular desktop operating system, was released in 2009 and is used by 600 million. 200 million licences of Windows 8, which was released in 2012, has been sold as of 2014 (do note, this number doesn't reflect the active Windows 8 user base). Apple's OS X operating system, across all its versions, was used by 80 million users as of June 2014.
Meanwhile, Microsoft has rolled out another cumulative update for Windows 10. The new update brings improvements to the desktop operating system. Weighing around 180MB for 32-bit Windows 10 edition, and 360MB for its 64-bit counterpart, the update being of a "cumulative" nature comes with all the bug fixes Microsoft has released for Windows 10 so far. You can download it via Windows Update or alternatively manually snag the files from the company's website.
Microsoft is said to be currently working on Windows 10's first major update, codenamed "Threshold 2," which is pegged to come with a new Messaging app and support for extensions in Microsoft Edge. The update is said to release in October.

Private browsing on Firefox to get more private with new tracking protection

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According to the Mozilla Blog, “our hypothesis is that when you open a Private Browsing window in Firefox you’re sending a signal that you want more control over your privacy than current private browsing experiences actually provide”.
The feature though would be another hit to the once booming internet ad industry, as users get more and more tools of blocking both the ads themselves and the tracking technology which tries to offer them relevant and targeted marketing. They are plug-ins used to keep one’s browsing habits to himself. The browser will also not keep a record of its users’ browsing history.
Exactly how much information sites gather about visitors has proved a contentious point in recent weeks, with some criticisms voiced that too much data is being gathered by third-party services, often without the user realizing it’s taking place.
Apart from this, tracking protection can also be enabled in the standard browsing mode as well, which is a great thing to have.
Since Firefox, like some other leading browsers, does not have the “Do Not Track” option for users, “experimental Private Browsing” mode will enable Mozilla to block outside parties – such as ad networks or analytics companies – from tracking users with the help of cookies and browser fingerprinting. But what protects you from the sly web-based trackers recording datas without your knowledge?
The vast majority of the websites are expected to run smoothly with this new function, but for those websites that don’t, a user can disable the tracking in the private window described above.
“We’ve worked with developers and created a process that attempts to verify that add-ons installed in Firefox meet the guidelines and criteria we’ve developed to ensure they’re safer for you”, said Mozilla.
Last week, Firefox has been plagued by a vulnerability that steals computer files from the site’s visitors. Now incorporated in a “pre-beta” version of the browser, the new mode will go a step further by shutting down page elements that might be snooping on your activities.

FUNimation Announces Theatrical Dates for Attack on Titan Live Action Movies

(Press Release) FLOWER MOUND, TEXAS – August 14, 2015. Following the widely-covered and well-received world premiere of Part 1 of the Japanese live-action feature film “Attack on Titan” last month in Los Angeles, FUNimation® Entertainment announced today the theatrical dates for the epic two-part movie. “Attack on Titan” will be a limited theatrical event and will screen in both the U.S. and Canada.  Unlike most multi-part films that average up to a year between installments, moviegoers will wait just 3 weeks between Part 1 & 2. “Attack on Titan” Part 1 hits theaters beginning September 30 with Part 2 arriving in theaters beginning October 20.
“Fan reaction to Attack on Titan was extremely positive at the world premiere and we’re pleased to be able to announce dates for the theatrical releases in September and October,” said Gen Fukunaga, CEO and President of FUNimation Entertainment. “Attack on Titan is a worldwide phenomenon and we are excited to bring the live action movies to not only fans of the manga and anime but also horror fans as well from across the U.S. and Canada.”
The “Attack on Titan” (“Shingeki no Kyojin” in Japanese) movies, which take their name from the original manga series, were developed in close collaboration with series’ creator Hajime Isayama and tell the story of a world where the last of humanity fights to survive against almost unstoppable, man-eating giants. With more than 50 million copies in print today, the “Attack on Titan” manga series has inspired four spin-offs as well as a 25-episode anime series, which FUNimation both simulcast and released to home video in North America.
As part of the announcement, FUNimation’s theatrical trailer for the movies has been released on the official movie website.  Tickets for both movies will be limited and will be available for advance purchase on the website later this month.
For more information on “Attack on Titan” and to watch the new theatrical trailer, visit www.attackontitanthemovie.com.

One Piece Pirate Warriors 3 Hands-On Impressions: A Real Stretch

 I'm not very well-versed in the world of One Piece, but I'm tempted to dive further into after playing the One Piece Pirate Warriors 3 demo at the Bandia Namco Summer Showcase. The game follows the early adventures of Luffy and the Straw Hat Crew starting at the beginning of the whole story. However, the demo I played took place in an icy village where a villain wanted to make a name for himself using an army of fish men.
The main protagonist, Monkey D. Luffy, tips his straw hat and enthusiastically accepts the challenge of taking on an untold number of enemies in a 1 vs. Hundreds, Dynasty Warriors style, action game. The combat is cartoony and completely over-the-top, as Luffy almost single-handedly fights off battalions of fish men using stretching limbs like Plastic Man with a straw hat. Luffy's fists transform into giant ball-shaped weights, which he uses to smash groups together. His rubbery arms stretch out and whip groups back. He can also transform his legs into a spinning whir, like an upside down helicopter, causing him to float and kick the faces of all caught in his path. And those are just some of the basic moves.
Brawling charges up a power meter, which can be used to unleash a host of powerful super moves. Chief among them is unleashing key members of key members of the Straw Hat Crew to go crazy with their signature weapons on everything in front of you. The significance of some of these pirate characters was lost on me, but I still appreciated the wild animations and comical style. I imagine that the final game will help flesh out some of these characters for those who aren't familiar with the animated series, since the campaign takes place from the beginning and requires players to assemble the crew.
Beating up hordes of enemies and defeating captains will help break down strongholds and conquer the territory, which in turn unlocks access to adjacent territories. However, it is easy to lose track of what direction you should be headed and the time limit bearing down on you amid the chaos. I got so wrapped up in beating up enemies with an array of outrageous powers that I forgot about actually winning. Bringing up the overhead map shows you which territories still need to be taken, but it doesn't seem to differentiate between areas that are accessible and those that are locked out.
At the same time, the myriad of enemy types tend to blur together amidst the action. Ultimately, enemies come down to those with shields and without. Shield carriers usually surround captains and other key objectives, but it can be easy to overlook them the amid the sea of enemies. Additionally, the fact that some of your crew mates are among the throng, battling enemies alongside you, can almost go unnoticed.
When it comes down to it, One Piece Pirate Warriors 3 is as simple as gameplay gets. You throw your character at enemies, using powerful move to sweep, crush, and punch dozens of them at a time, then move a little further to do it some more. I conquered a territory almost by accident, and didn't progress very far after that because I got too wrapped up in the cartoon action. Ultimately, I ended up being done in by the time limit, which I ignored until it was too late to catch up. Still, just playing the demo was a fantastic and fun time, and it got me interested in learning more about the TV series.
The Straw Hat Crew comes together when One Piece Pirate Warriors releases on August 25th for PS3, PS4 and Vita, and PC. (Note: The Steam listing shows an August 28th release.)

'One Piece' Chapter 797 Rumors: Straw Hat Pirates' Members to Receive Prize Boost Starting Aug. 24?

Nintendo Hosts Celebrities At 2015 E3 Gaming Convention  

 
LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 18: Bradley Steven Perry and Austin North attend Nintendo hosts celebrities at 2015 E3 Gaming Convention at Los Angeles Convention Center on June 18, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo : Photo by John Sciulli/Getty Images for Nintendo)
"One Piece," the 797th Chapter of the Japanese manga, forecast for potential storylines are impending since the greatly anticipated extension of the tale is supposed to be out on the stands by Aug. 24. It will be included in the 39th issue of WSJ.
With the upcoming "One Piece," there is a possibility of a boost in the prize awarded for every member of the Straw Hat Pirates, Movie News Guide reported. It is believed that "Black Leg" Sanji will obtain the highest point of almost 30 million while he fights with Vergo, the "Demon Bamboo."
"One Piece" hints have also suggested that either Zoro or Monkey D. Luffy will fight with the task force led by Admiral Fujitora. In Chapter 795, it can be recalled that Fujitora has at last decided to take on the pirates, making him an underdog against Luffy.
Other reports about "One Piece" say that Luffy's fighting skills is at the same level with that of Don Quixote Doflamingo's, which puts him as a possible contender. Nonetheless, fans believe that he may just pass up on the fight altogether so as to have the opportunity to tell Rebecca about her father.
Meanwhile, it is more likely that "One Piece's" Luffy, along with the rest of Straw Hat Pirates, might soon be leaving Dressrosa. If this comes to a fulfillment, Dressrosa may either be put in the controlling hands of the Pirates, or the Marines will get to create their set of rules and seize the terrain of the King's Palace.
One of the key aspects to note in the "One Piece" story is Sengoku. This could potentially influence the World Government's relationship with Dressrosa and Doflamingo.
Amidst all the "One Piece" excitement, an announcement was made that the latest chapter will be released a week later than the original schedule that was first set on Aug. 17th. This is due to the celebration of the Oban Holiday where Weekly Shonen Jump takes a week off, One Piece Podcast shared.

Comic Market 88 Attracts 550,000 Across 3 Days


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The Comic Market 88 (Comiket 88) event in Tokyo drew approximately 210,000 attendees on its third and final day on Sunday, August 16, bringing the three-day total to 550,000. In comparison, Comiket 86 also drew 550,000 across three days last summer. Comiket 87 attracted 560,000 across three days in December 2014.
Comiket 86 and 87 also drew 210,000 on their third days.
Comiket 88 attracted 180,000 attendees on its first day on Friday and 160,000 on its second day on Saturday.
First-day attendance was up from 170,000 at Comiket 86 last summer, but was the same as Comiket 87 in December. Second-day attendance was down from the 170,000 recorded at both Comiket 86 and 87.
Around 11,500 doujin circles (groups of self-published artists) participated in the event on Sunday.

Red Ash wants another $247k for its anime spin-off

A couple of weeks ago Keiji Inafune's Mega Man Legends' spiritual successor Red Ash fell $280K shy of its $800k Kickstarter goal, but its anime spin-off, Red Ash: Magicicada, achieved its $150k crowdfunding goal with an ending tally of $162,882. That hasn't stopped animation developer Studio4℃ from asking for an additional $247k to expand the anime from a 12-minute short to a half-hour longer short.
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Red Ash: Magicicada has big ambitions for a spin-off of to a game that the public had little interest in.
As outlined in a new Kickstarter update, Studio4℃ decided it would need $260k above the $150k is asked for. It already has $12,882 of that from surplus funding on the original Kickstarter, so now it just needs another $247,118 to go.
Weirdly, it's spreading this out into two different crowdfunding platforms. There's the international Studio4℃Fun& (yes, that's the actual name) asking for $127,118 and the Japanese Motion Gallery asking for $120k.
Both have until 14th October to secure their funding.
Given that the original Kickstarter barely met its goal and the Red Ash game failed to meet its goal, it seems highly unlikely that this anime will achieve this newly added, post-Kickstarter stretch goal.
Studio4℃ is remaining hopeful though, as its objective is for there to be a third stage of its fundraising operation where it raises enough for a full feature-length 92 minute film. A budget for this will only be revealed once the $260k is raised for this second stage of the campaign.
The Red Ash game will still be made, sort of, as a roughly eight-hour prologue called Red Ash: The KalKanon Incident, as Chinese company Fuze Entertainment swooped in from outside of Kickstarter and funded its development for PS4, Xbox One and PC.

Tokyo Ghoul: Jack Video Anime's 2nd Promo Video Previews Cast

Marvelous began streaming the second promotional video on Sunday for the Tokyo Ghoul: Jack original video anime. 

Saori Hayami will play Uruka Minami, Tatsuhisa Suzuki will play Ryō, and Rumi Ookubo will play Aki. In addition, Yuji Ueda (Itsuki Marude) and Rintarou Nishi (Yamori) reprise their roles and join Daisuke Namikawa (Kishō Arima) and Ryohei Kimura (Taishi Fura) in the cast.
The OVA will receive a limited engagement in select theaters in Japan from September 5 to September 18, ahead of its September 30 retail release.
The theaters showing Tokyo Ghoul: Jack include:
  • Shinjuku Piccadilly (Tokyo)
  • Yokohama Burg 13 (Kanagawa)
  • MOVIX Saitama (Saitama)
  • Midland Square Cinema (Nagoya)
  • Namba Parks Cinema (Osaka)
  • MOVIX Amagazaki (Hyōgo)
  • Nakasu Taiyo Cinema (Fukuoka)
In Tokyo Ghoul: Jack, an incident involving a human-devouring Ghoul occurs in Tokyo's 13th Ward. To seek the truth behind what happened to his friend, the rebellious high school boy Taishi Fura pursues the Ghoul named Lantern with the young ace investigator Kishō Arima. The story follows how the ace investigator Kishō Arima and the talented 7th Ward investigator Taishi Fura first met.
Video of interviews with the two voice actors Namikawa and Kimura (during their dialogue recording sessions) and "making-of" videos will play during the video anime's screenings in theaters.
Tokyo Ghoul's original manga creator Sui Ishida serialized the Tokyo Ghoul: Jack manga in Shueisha's digital service Jump Live in 2013. The Tokyo Ghoul √A sequel television anime ended in March, and Funimation streamed the series as it aired.

Selena Gomez’s Tight White Slip Dress: Flaunts Cleavage & Curves In Sexy Frock

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What’s black and white and seriously stylish? Selena Gomez‘s latest outfit! The 23-year-old star put her curves on full display in a sexy, chic white slip dress that clung to her figure when she stepped out in LA on Aug. 16 for Jennifer Klein‘s Day of Indulgence Summer Party. The star’s minimal yet sexy outfit was all about the white slip dress silhouette she showed off, which put her cleavage on display thanks to the plunging neckline.
Selena Gomez looked like a total ’90s dream babe in the sultry style — Cher Horowitz would be so proud. Honestly, is there anything as simple and sexy as a slip dress? The form-fitting silhouette and revealing neckline was balanced out by the hemline, which extended past Selena’s knee. The star played up the black and white trend and gave the look an edgy twist, thanks to the way she styled it, pairing the ensemble with a black Louis Vuitton chain-link purse and a pair of Jimmy Choo pumps.



Her frock, the Atea Oceanie ivory slip dress, is from the label’s Spring 2015 collection, and it looked like it was made for Selena as it skimmed across her curves. She stayed true to the minimal vibe, pairing the frock with stick-straight locks. From her styling to her beauty routine, everything about Selena’s outfit was a total win in my book.



While a simple slip dress is a sexy choice for a dinner date, cocktail event or a night out, I especially love the way Selena added a little edge to the look with her accessorizing — it’s also a great tip if you want to wear white after Labor Day, which is totally OK! Throw that old rule book out the window and give your white dress a fall feel with black accessories — colorblocking chicness for the win!