For the second time in as many trading days, shares of BlackBerry were halted in advance of some big news from the company. Today’s news is no less big. BlackBerry has just announced that it’s signed a letter of intent agreement for a sale of the company valued at $4.7 billion to a consortium led by Fairfax Financial (the company’s largest shareholder). Pending due diligence that’s expected to be completed by November 4th, the deal would see BlackBerry go private, with shareholders each receiving $9 per share in cash. In a statement, Fairfax Chairman and CEO Prem Watsa said, “we believe this transaction will open an exciting new private chapter for BlackBerry, its customers, carriers and employees, ” adding, “we can deliver immediate value to shareholders, while we continue the execution of a long-term strategy in a private company with a focus on delivering superior and secure enterprise solutions to BlackBerry customers around the world.” While BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins has yet to offer any public comment on the news, the chair of BlackBerry’s Board of Directors, Barbara Stymiest, drew attention to that due diligence period in her statement, saying that “the go-shop process provides an opportunity to determine if there are alternatives superior to the present proposal from the Fairfax consortium.” You can find the official announcement of the deal after the break. Developing… Filed under: Cellphones , Mobile , Blackberry Comments Source: MarketWatch

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BlackBerry enters agreement for $4.7 billion sale of company to consortium led by Fairfax Financial

Already feeling secure about using just your fingerprint to unlock the new iPhone 5S? European hacker association Chaos Computer Club claims it can be circumvented with “easy everyday means.” According to CCC hacker “starbug”, tactics laid out in a how-to from 2004 are all that are required, with just a higher res fake needed to beat the Touch ID reader. The process, as described, requires only a 2400 DPI photograph of someone’s fingerprint which is then laser printed at 1200 DPI and used to create a thin latex sheet that serves as the fake. [Thanks, Frederic] Filed under: Mobile , Apple Comments Source: Chaos Computer Club

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Chaos Computer Club says it’s beaten Apple’s Touch ID fingerprint reader (video)

Just in case you thought incorporation would slow things down among the folks behind CyanogenMod , dev and VP of Engineering Koushik Dutta just posted this video showing off Airplay Mirroring from an Android phone. He’s been working on Android streaming support to various protocols / devices for the “AllCast” media streaming app since Google’s changes cut it off from the Chromecast (for now at least), and Apple’s screen sharing feature is the latest target. There are other apps in the Play Store that connect Android devices over Airplay, but mirroring support integrated into the OS feels fresh. AllCast support is already in place for pushing media to Roku and DLNA-compatible hardware, and he says this mirroring feature is “coming soon to a CyanogenMod near you.” Filed under: Cellphones , Software , HD , Mobile , Apple , Google Comments Source: Koushik Dutta (Google+) (1) , (2)

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Android to Airplay Mirroring demonstrated, coming soon to CyanogenMod

While the release of iOS 7 was yesterday’s big news, Apple also dropped a number of other smaller, but no less important , software updates. Not content with allowing only Internet Explorer users import their iCloud bookmarks to Windows PCs, the company is now letting Chrome and Firefox join the party. The additional functionality comes by way of an update to Apple’s iCloud Control Panel for Windows, a small app designed to keep contacts, calendars and bookmarks up-to-date between iOS devices, Mac and PC. To make it possible, Apple — which isn’t known for dedicating resources to rival platforms — submitted two browser extensions to do the heavy lifting. Ironically, Mac users are excluded from the fun, putting Windows users in the enviable position of receiving a feature before anyone else. Filed under: Software , Apple , Microsoft , Google Comments Via: Apple Insider , The Verge Source: iCloud Control Panel , iCloud Bookmarks (Chrome Web Store) , iCloud Bookmarks (Firefox Add-ons)

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Apple now lets Windows users sync iCloud bookmarks with Chrome and Firefox

What do a fanless PC and a motion-controlled laptop have in common? Nothing, really; just that HP is going to be first to market with both of these things. After teasing a fanless tablet back in June, the company has formally announced the Spectre 13 x2, which isn’t actually a tablet so much as a hybrid laptop. Additionally, HP unveiled a special edition version of its Envy 17 notebook with a Leap Motion controller built into the palm rest. Starting with the Leap Motion machine, this is truly the same Envy 17 that’s already on the market, complete with an aluminum chassis, backlit keyboard and generous Beats branding. Except, you know, it has a conspicuous motion sensor below the keyboard, allowing you to control games and other apps using hand gestures. Per Leap Motion’s requirements, HP includes a shortcut to Leap Motion’s Airspace Store, where there are currently 100-plus apps and counting. (If you read our review, you know the selection is hit or miss.) Once you calibrate the sensor, you can turn the controller off by pressing the spacebar plus the Fn key; a small LED indicator will light up to let you know when it’s on. Surprisingly, too, that the sensor doesn’t add to the thickness of the laptop, as the module only measures 3.5mm thick (granted, a 17-inch machine probably has plenty of leeway inside the chassis). Look for it October 16th, with a starting price of $1, 049.99 and your choice of Intel processors and NVIDIA graphics.%Gallery-slideshow88784% Filed under: Laptops , HP Comments

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HP lays claim to the first fanless Haswell PC and the first Leap Motion laptop

Looking for more PS4 news? Here’s a bit now that Sony’s Tokyo Game Show keynote address is over. A couple of features we’d hoped to hear more about have been confirmed, and the first is that the PS4 camera will support both voice and gesture control. It’s no surprise that the system will take full advantage of the add-on’s dual cameras and four mics for people who want to wave at their TVs, but it’s nice to have that confirmed. Second, in a move that will mostly benefit game reviewers and YouTube video walkthrough experts (thanks for your help on these GTA V missions, all of you), the PlayStation 4 will allow unencrypted HDMI output for games. On the PS3 it didn’t, treating games the same as Blu-ray movies, so anyone capturing video in HD needed to use component cables. That’s on top of the console’s “Share” button that sends clips of gameplay straight to Ustream, Facebook or PSN. Check out our liveblog for everything else discussed tonight including the PS4’s mobile apps, indie gaming and Vita TV. Filed under: Gaming , HD , Sony Comments

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Sony confirms PS4 gesture and voice control, HDMI capture for games

If you hadn’t noticed, there have been a lot of app updates to accommodate the launch of iOS 7 . You may not have to use a WiFi hotspot to grab them all, though — Apple has quietly raised iOS’ cellular download cap from 50MB to 100MB. You won’t be loading Infinity Blade III while on the road, but the ceiling is high enough that moderately-sized apps like Sky Guide are now available over the air. Just make sure you’ve got enough spare bandwidth . Filed under: Cellphones , Tablets , Mobile , Apple Comments Source: AppleInsider

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Apple raises cellular download cap to 100MB for iOS

We are well past mid-August, which is when Sharp initially estimated its new 70-inch Aquos 4K Ultra HD LED TV would begin hitting shelves. Despite the late arrival, however, something tells us folks will still be glad to have yet another choice when shopping for their next 4K television set. To make things better, Sharp’s super high-res, THX-certified Smart TV is set to be carrying a $7, 499.99 MSRP here in the States, making it about $500 cheaper than when it was originally announced. Those of you interested shouldn’t have trouble finding one, as Sharp says it’ll be available at many regional and major retailers across the country. Filed under: Home Entertainment , HD Comments Source: Sharp

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Sharp’s 70-inch, THX-certified Aquos Ultra 4K TV goes on sale in the US for $7,500

BlackBerry hasn’t been hiding the fact that it’s cutting back on its workforce, but a new report from The Wall Street Journal today suggests that a particularly big round of layoffs could be in the offing. Citing people familiar with the matter, the paper says that the company is preparing to cut up to 40 percent of its workforce by the end of the year, with the layoffs expected to ” cut across all departments” and “occur in waves.” As the WSJ notes, the most recent tally of employees the company has disclosed is 12, 700, which is already down from 17, 000 two years ago. This latest news also comes after an indication earlier this month that at least some BlackBerry board members are pushing for a speedy sale of the company, which reportedly could happen as early as November . For its part, BlackBerry isn’t commenting on the specific number of layoffs, telling the WSJ only that “organizational moves will continue to occur to ensure we have the right people in the right roles to drive new opportunities in mobile computing.” Filed under: Cellphones , Mobile , Blackberry Comments

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WSJ: BlackBerry expected to cut up to 40 percent of its workforce by year’s end

Microsoft announced back at its Build developer conference that it was bringing Internet Explorer 11 to Windows 7, and it’s already partially made good on that promise by letting developers get an early look. By now, though, the company’s given the browser enough spit and polish that it’s ready for public consumption: the Release Preview is now available for anybody to download. As you’d expect, Microsoft claims IE11 is the fastest desktop browser available, and that it’s 30 percent quicker than the next-fastest browser (that would be Firefox, or at least that’s what Microsoft says). Also, the Release Preview is apparently a bit speedier than the Developer Preview was back in June: Redmond says average SunSpider scores have dropped from 144ms to an even-better 137ms. At any rate, now that the browser’s available, you’re free to download it and benchmark it yourself, if that’s what floats your boat. Filed under: Software , Microsoft Comments Source: Microsoft (1) , (2)

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Internet Explorer 11 for Windows 7 is available now as a Release Preview