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

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has discussed the company’s ambitions to build a self-driving car on more than one occasion, and now he’s revealed a bit more about its plans. After reports today about a job listing for an Advanced Driver Assistance Systems Controls Engineer, he spoke to the Financial Times and confirmed the company is working on a form of autopilot in-house. Expressing his opinion that fully autonomous cars may be a bit too difficult to achieve right now, he said Tesla “should be able to do 90 per cent of miles driven within three years.” Other major car companies — Mercedes, GM, Volvo and Continental, just to name a few — have projects for either full or partial car self-control, but they’re still under development for reasons both technical and legal. Also hanging in the balance is Google’s autonomous car project, although from Musk’s statements it appears Tesla has decided to go its own wa y on the technology. The three year target is an ambitious one, but we’ll put this one somewhere between Iron Man and Hyperloop on the Musk scale. Filed under: Transportation Comments Via: Reuters Source: FT

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Tesla’s ‘autopilot’ car project targets 90 percent of miles driven, three years from now

Mozilla has just released Firefox 24, and this refresh lavishes most of its attention on the Android version. The updated mobile browser enables WebRTC support, letting Android users conduct web-based video chats without a plugin. These surfers can also share browser tabs between NFC-capable devices, launch a preferred sharing app from the main menu, read in Braille and enable a Night mode in Reader. Desktop users aren’t completely left out of the upgrade frenzy, however. Firefox 24 lets them quickly close all tabs to the right of a selected tab, drag out chat windows and use the stealthier scrollbars in OS X Lion and newer. If you’re intrigued by any of the new Firefox clients, you can grab the edition you need at one of the source links. Filed under: Cellphones , Internet , Software , Mobile Comments Via: Mozilla Blog (1) , (2) Source: Firefox , Google Play

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Firefox 24 arrives with WebRTC video chats on Android, quick-close tabs on desktop

With iOS 7 arriving tomorrow , Apple is extending some love to the owners of older iOS devices that have been left behind. New compatibility features, first spotted on Reddit , will now kick into action if you attempt to download an app that is not supported by your current firmware. Instead, the company now asks if you’d like to install the last compatible version, which, for some apps, can be over a year old. We’ve successfully installed an older version of Instagram to an iPhone 3GS with iOS 4.3.3 and Twitter to an iPhone 3G running iOS 4.2.1. Although Instagram was “out of date, ” the last compatible version of Twitter (featured above) was version 4.3.2, and hit the App Store back on August 18th, 2012. If you’re feeling nostalgic and you’ve got an aging iPhone, iPad or iPod touch that could use a bit of exercise, Apple’s latest tweak might teach your old device some new tricks. Filed under: Cellphones , Software , Apple Comments Source: Reddit

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Apple offering ‘last compatible version’ of iOS apps for older hardware

This surely marks a faint glimmer of hope for all the beaten-down and forgotten formats out there. Granted, the vinyl record has been out of fashion recently but still, a 745 percent increase in Amazon sales marks some pretty impressive growth. So, why the bump? A retro explosion? A new-found appreciation for fidelity in this world of streaming compression? The answer’s likely a little bit of both. Also, don’t underestimate the power of Amazon’s AutoRip feature. See, vinyl’s not only the fastest growing music medium on Amazon, it’s also the most popular format for AutoRip, which entitles buyers to MP3 versions of physical albums they buy. Obviously, though, it’s a bit tougher for most music lovers to rip vinyl than, say, a CD. So, which records are selling best? As of the weekend, the top vinyl titles include albums by the Death Grips, Amy Winehouse and Arcade Fire. Daft Punk, Nirvana and Paul McCartney managed to make their way into the top ten, as well. Those who prefer their information served up in a handy graphical format should click through to the source link below. Filed under: Home Entertainment , Amazon Comments Source: Amazon

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Amazon vinyl sales up 745 percent since 2008, 8-track mulling comeback

If Internet.org ever hopes to be successful with its goal of bringing affordable internet to the next 5 billion people, the cost of delivery will need to be much cheaper than it is today. Today, members of the coalition — which includes Facebook, Qualcomm, Ericsson and others — released a substantial 70-page white paper that outlines some of the initial steps that are on the drawing board. According to the group’s estimates, data delivery is currently 100 times too expensive to execute the vision of Internet.org, but all of that could change within the next decade. To accomplish this, Internet.org is seeking ways to bring a tenfold improvement to the cost of delivering data, along with apps that are 10 times more efficient. For Facebook’s part, it highlights technologies such as HipHop for PHP and the HipHop virtual machine, which allows its existing servers to accommodate 500 percent more traffic than before, and its Air Traffic Control system, which allows it to simulate different mobile networks and congestion systems around the world. Similarly, Facebook is looking to compression technologies such as WebP — currently in use on its Android app — to replace image formats such as PNG and JPEG, which alone could reduce network traffic by 20%. Another challenge is looming, however, as Qualcomm estimates that the demand for data will double each year over the next 10 years, ultimately increasing 1000 fold over where it is today. To meet that demand, it’s lobbying for a substantial spectrum reallocation, along with technologies such as carrier aggregation, LTE-Broadcast and LTE Direct. Combine this with more unconventional approaches that it’ll reveal at a later date, and you begin to appreciate the massive undertaking that lies ahead for the partners of Internet.org. Filed under: Internet , Mobile , Facebook Comments Source: Facebook , Internet.org (PDF)

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Internet.org targets efficiency and cost reduction to connect the next 5 billion