cloudGOO lets you consolidate Dropbox, Google Drive, and other cloud storage

cloudGOO lets you consolidate Dropbox, Google Drive, and other cloud storage
NDTV

Thanks to free giveaways, most of us probably have a couple of GB in Dropbox, and a free account in Box, not to mention OneDrive and Google Drive accounts, to make the most of all that free cloud storage, right?

The problem, at least for this reporter, is managing all those different accounts. It sounds like a lot of free space at first, but once you start syncing photos from your phone, uploading your comic books collection or filling it with movies from... backing up your DVD collection, each account gets filled up pretty fast. There's a lot of free space if you look at all the different accounts available, but keeping track of what is saved where very quickly becomes a nightmare. It's easier to just pay Dropbox $9.99 a month (approximately Rs. 600) or $99.99 for a year, and get 100GB of storage.

That's where cloudGOO comes in. Available as an app for both Android (Rs. 59.88) and iOS (Rs. 60), cloudGOO lets you connect all your cloud drives together, and then access them as a single drive. This means that instead of 2GB here and 10GB there, you can connect all the free accounts available and access over 100GB from a single app on your phone or tablet.

You don't even have to install each app individually, and then connect them all to cloudGOO - instead you log into them via the cloudGOO app and start using them right away. The app supports a number of cloud storage providers, such as iCloud, Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, Box, SugarSync and Amazon Cloud Drive. It uses APIs from the other providers so it's not storing your credentials for the other accounts anywhere, and it figures out the best places to save the files for you.

There are other solutions like Jolicloud, which lets you manage multiple cloud storage providers, but the difference is that you have to decide where you're saving files, and the search function also handles one provider at a time.

With cloudGOO on the other hand, the search is universal across your accounts, and it also has a simple graphical interface to help you find documents, or photos, or movies, or music. The logic of how it decides where to save the files isn't really clear, but as long as you have the app, you can quickly find the files you want, so it doesn't really matter.

There is one downside which is worth pointing out - cloudGOO doesn't have its own desktop client. When you're saving files from your computer, you'll still have to go to the individual cloud storage providers that you're using directly. Aside from that, there's no way to see where the file has been saved by cloudGOO, which can be a bit of a problem if you want to find files outside of the app. However, as long as you stay inside the app, there's no problem.

According to the listing on the Play store, the current pricing is an introductory discount, but from what we've seen, it's well worth paying a dollar for, instead of ten times as much, on a monthly basis, for paid storage.

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Microsoft to Shut Down Xbox Entertainment Studios; Halo Series Unaffected

Microsoft to Shut Down Xbox Entertainment Studios; Halo Series Unaffected

Agence France-Presse

Microsoft on Thursday confirmed that its studio devoted to original television programs for Xbox consoles will be shuttered as part a massive overhaul of the workforce.

Projects started by Xbox Entertainment Studios will be completed, but the unit launched as part of a push to expand the consoles beyond gaming will be shuttered in coming months, the US technology titan told AFP.

During a major E3 video game industry gathering in Los Angeles in June Microsoft brought the focus back to games in a shift from stressing how Xbox is evolving into a multipurpose entertainment centre for films, television, music, and more.

Closing Xbox Entertainment Studios is part of an unprecedented workforce reduction announced byMicrosoft chief Satya Nadella, according to a copy of a memo sent by Xbox head Phil Spencer to his team.

Leaked copies of Spencer's memo were posted online.

"We will continue to enhance our entertainment offering on console by innovating the TV experience through the monthly console updates," Spencer said in the memo.

"Additionally, our app partnerships with world-class content providers bringing entertainment, sports and TV content to Xbox customers around the world are not impacted by this organizational change in any way and remain an important component of our Xbox strategy."

Programming already in production included a documentary looking at the rise and fall of video game pioneer Atari and a series spun from blockbuster video game "Halo."

Word that Xbox Entertainment Studios is being closed came shortly after Microsoft announced that US sales of its new-generation Xbox One console more than doubled in June.

The jump in sale was credited to the release of a version of the Xbox One priced $100 less than the original packaged model because a gesture-sensing Kinect camera accessory was removed from the bundle.

The Xbox One launched in November priced at $499 and included Kinect.

Microsoft did not provide sales numbers for Xbox consoles in June.

Microsoft's new chief Thursday unveiled the biggest job cuts ever at the US tech giant, aiming for a new strategic direction while integrating the Nokia phone division.

The company said it would slash 18,000 jobs from its global workforce over the next year, the majority from the Nokia unit acquired this year.

The cuts represent about 14 percent of Microsoft's global payroll of some 127,000. The company will take a charge of between $1.1 billion and $1.6 billion for costs related to the layoffs.

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'Game of War' Mobile Game Maker Looking at $3 Billion Valuation: Report

Reuters

Machine Zone Inc, the developer of popular mobile game "Game of War: Fire Age," is in talks with JPMorgan Chase & Co to raise funding that could value the company at more than $3 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

The expected valuation would make the Palo Alto, California-based company one of the biggest startups in the world in terms of market cap, the report said.

Machine Zone is expected to raise about $250 million in a private placement, Bloomberg News reported, citing a person with knowledge of the company.

The company, launched in 2008 as a dating app developer, renamed itself as Machine Zone in 2012 and shifted its strategy to focus on mobile games, according to the Journal.

"Game of War" is known for its built-in translator that helps multiple players across the world interact online without language barriers.

Machine Zone is trying to raise private funding months after a weak market debut by mobile game developer King Digital Entertainment Plc, dashing hopes that its coming-out party could revive investor interest in the mobile gaming industry.

King's IPO price of $22.50 valued the company at about $6 billion.

© Thomson Reuters 2014

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Amazon Kindle Unlimited Review: Limited Selection

Amazon Kindle Unlimited Review: Limited Selection

Associated Press

Amazon's new "unlimited" e-book service lets you read 600,000 books. That sounds like more than you'll ever read, but I found myself struggling to find the books I wanted.

It turns out that the library of 600,000 is bit like a small bookstore with a few current titles such as "The Hunger Games," attached to a block-sized bargain bin of obscure stuff mixed with "Robinson Crusoe" and other classics that are in the public domain and available for free online anyway.

Startups Scribd and Oyster both offer better value for avid readers of popular books.

Though Oyster has only 500,000 books and Scribd has 400,000, both offer extensive libraries from two of the largest publishers, HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster. Kindle Unlimited doesn't.

Kindle Unlimited and Oyster both cost $10 a month, while Scribd goes for $9. All three offer the first month free.

Weeks ago, as I was reviewing Scribd and Oyster, I asked colleagues to suggest books that ought to be on such services. I also added titles from my own wish list. Of the 75 I checked, Oyster had 17 and Scribd had 16. That's not a lot. I got even fewer with Kindle Unlimited - six matches, plus one that's free for everyone.

But through Amazon's $99-per-year Prime program, I could already read four of those six books for free on Kindle devices. Only "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson and "Flash Boys" by Michael Lewis require the Kindle Unlimited subscription.

Under Prime, however, I can read only one book a month. Kindle Unlimited lets you download 10 books at a time on up to six devices. Those devices don't have to be Amazon devices, as Prime requires.

Kindle Unlimited also beats its rivals in several ways:

- It has 2,000 audiobooks from Amazon's Audible business. They're synchronized to the corresponding books, so if you need to break off reading to drive, you can have the audiobook play instead, starting where you left off reading.

- For the first three months of your subscription, you can choose one additional audiobook per month from Audible's larger catalog. You get to keep these books even if you cancel your subscription.

- Only Kindle Unlimited permits reading on Kindle e-readers such as the Paperwhite. I personally prefer reading without distractions from email and Facebook.

- Kindle apps for phones and tablets are more sophisticated than the competition. For instance, you get an estimate of how much time you need to finish the chapter or the book, based on your personal reading speed. Oyster does that only for the chapter, while Scribd offers neither.

- Kindle apps are available for a greater range of devices. Oyster works on iPhones, iPads and Android devices. Scribd supports those, plus Macs and Windows devices. Kindle does all that, plus webOS and BlackBerry devices.

Back in 2011, Amazon began making a selection of movies and TV episodes available for free to Prime members. At the time, the free service had 5,000 videos - but few that I actually wanted to watch. That's been expanded to more than 40,000 and includes decent movies and shows. Amazon has even commissioned original shows for Prime, including the John Goodman comedy "Alpha House."

Kindle Unlimited will have to follow the same path and expand its library to be useful for most people.

With any of these services, you need to be reading three or more books a month to make it worth the subscription. Otherwise, buying the e-book through Amazon or a discount service such as Entitle is more economical. The limited selection makes it tougher to find those three books a month, especially for those who already get a book a month for free through Prime.

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Huawei Reports 19 Percent Rise in First-Half Revenue

Huawei Reports 19 Percent Rise in First-Half Revenue

Reuters

Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, the world's No. 2 telecom equipment maker, said on Monday it will achieve sustainable growth in 2014 after posting a 19 percent jump in first-half revenue to 135.8 billion yuan ($21.88 billion).

The Shenzhen-based company also said it expected to generate an operating margin of 18.3 percent in the first six months of 2014. The company did not elaborate in its brief statement.

"Driven by increasing investments in LTE networks worldwide, Huawei has further solidified its leadership position in mobile broadband," Huawei's CFO Cathy Meng said in the statement.

"Rapid growth in software and services helped maintain steady growth in our carrier network business."

Meng said Huawei achieved "sustainable growth" in its consumer business, which includes smartphone manufacturing, thanks to better brand awareness.

Huawei's sales growth in the first half, which the company said was in line with its expectations, comes after a 222 percent to 270 percent jump in first-half net profits flagged by cross-town competitor ZTE Corp last week.

ZTE attributed the growth to improving margins and revenue from new contracts for China's next-generation telecoms network.

Last year, Huawei reported a 10.8 percent rise in its first-half revenue. The company reported 12.2 percent growth in its operating margin in 2013.

Huawei earlier this year set a target revenue of $70 billion yuan by 2018, or annual growth of about 10 percent a year, after posting 8.6 percent growth last year.

© Thomson Reuters 2014

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Disney is Working on a Haunted Mansion Animated Special

If you’ve ever been to a Disneytheme park, then you know that one of their must-see rides is the infamous Haunted Mansion.

Soon, you won’t have to go very far to experience Disney’s Haunted Mansion ride. Disney Channel andDisney XD are gearing up for an all new animated special that takes place in the Haunted Mansion. Several creative minds, includingJoshua Pruett from Phineas and Ferb and horror mastermind Gris Grimley are coming together on the project.

More details still have yet to be released on the Haunted Mansion special, but if this animated feature is going to be anything like the ride, then you have GOT to tune in.Halloween is closer than you think, so we expect it to be released sometime in the fall.

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40 dead in Israeli attack on Gaza district: hospital

40 dead in Israeli attack on Gaza district: hospital

GAZA/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - At least 40 Palestinians were killed on Sunday by Israeli shelling in a Gaza neighborhood, where bodies were strewn in the street and thousands fled toward a hospital packed with wounded, witnesses and health officials said.

The mass casualties in the Shejaia district in northeast Gaza were the heaviest since Israel launched its offensive on the Palestinian territory on July 8 after cross-border rocket strikes by militants intensified.
Anguished cries of "Did you see Ahmed?" "Did you see my wife?" echoed through the courtyard of Gaza's Shifa hospital, where panicked residents of Shejaia gathered in family groups, while inside bodies and wounded lay on blood-stained floors.

Video given to Reuters by a local showed at least a dozen mangled corpses, including three children, lying in the rubble-filled streets.

At the hospital, about 3 km (2 miles away), elderly men said the Israeli attack was the fiercest they had seen since the 1967 Middle East war, when Israel captured Gaza.

"Forty martyrs have been counted so far ... medics are searching for possibly more casualties," Naser Tattar, Shifa hospital's director, told Reuters. He said some 400 people were wounded in the Israeli attack.
Thousands fled Shejaia, some by foot and others piling into the backs of trucks and sitting on the hoods of cars filled with families trying to get away.

Asked about the attack, an Israeli military spokeswoman said: "Two days ago, residents of Shejaia received recorded messages to evacuate the area in order to protect their lives."

There were no signs of a diplomatic breakthrough toward a ceasefire, and militants kept up their rocket fire on Israel. Sirens sounded in southern Israeli towns and in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area. There were no reports of casualties.

Hamas, the dominant armed group in the Gaza Strip, had urged people across the territory not to heed the Israeli warnings and abandon their homes.

As the tank shells began to land, Shejaia residents called radio stations pleading for evacuation. An air strike on the Shejaia home of Khalil al-Hayya, a senior Hamas official, killed his son, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren, hospital officials said.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned "the new massacre committed by the Israeli government in Shejaia", a spokesman for the Western-backed leader said.

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Google reportedly confronted Samsung over its approach to smartwatches

Google reportedly confronted Samsung over its approach to smart watches:

Jon Fingas Engadget

The strained relationship between Google and Samsung over Android customization has been apparent for a while, and it now looks like this discontent has spread to the wearable world.

The Information claims that Google CEO Larry Page confronted Samsung last week over its decision to invest more in its Gear 2 and Gear Fit smartwatches than the Android Wear-packing Gear Live.
While the details of Page's discussions aren't available, it's clear that Google wants its biggest hardware partner to devote more attention to its Android-based platform.

Reportedly, Google had even wanted Samsung to avoid dipping into wrist-worn technology until Android Wear was ready. As we know now, the Korean company didn't exactly honor that request -- instead, it released the Galaxy Gear (initially using a heavily customized Android) and quickly threw most of its energy into peripherals running Tizen and other platforms.

Neither firm has commented on the disagreement. However, a scrap over wearables isn't completely shocking.

Google is trying to rein manufacturers in by requiring that they use its stock interface on Android Wear equipment; that's not going to please Samsung, which has spent a lot of time customizing Android in an attempt to stand out. The Gear Live's very existence suggests that Samsung is being somewhat accommodating.

If the leak is accurate, though, Google may not be truly happy unless that device takes center stage in Samsung's lineup.

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Snowden seeks to develop anti-surveillance technologies

Snowden seeks to develop anti-surveillance technologies

Jim Finkle

Reuters

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Edward Snowden, a former U.S. spy agency contractor who leaked details of major U.S. surveillance programs, called on supporters at a hacking conference to spur development of easy-to-use technologies to subvert government surveillance programs around the globe.
Snowden, who addressed conference attendees on Saturday via video link from Moscow, said he intends to devote much of his time to promoting such technologies, including ones that allow people to communicate anonymously and encrypt their messages.

"You in this room, right now have both the means and the capability to improve the future by encoding our rights into programs and protocols by which we rely every day," he told the New York City conference, known as Hackers On Planet Earth, or HOPE.

"That is what a lot of my future work is going to be involved in," he told hundreds of hackers who crowded into an auditorium and overflow rooms to hear him speak from Moscow, where he fled to last year.
He escaped the United States after leaking documents that detailed massive U.S. surveillance programs at home and abroad - revelations that outraged some Americans and sparked protests from countries around the globe.

Snowden did not discuss the status of a request he made earlier this month to extend his Russian visa, which expires at the end of July. The United States wants Russia to send him home to face criminal charges, including espionage.

At the HOPE hacking conference, several talks detailed approaches for thwarting government surveillance, including a system known as SecureDrop that is designed to allow people to anonymously leak documents to journalists.

Attorneys with the Electronic Frontier Foundation answered questions about pending litigation with the NSA, including efforts to stop collection of phone records that were disclosed through Snowden's leaks.
Snowden is seen as a hero by a large segment of the community of hackers attending the HOPE conference, which includes computer experts, anti-surveillance activists, artists and other types of hackers.

The conference featured about 100 presentations on topics ranging from surveillance to hacking elevators and home routers.

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What's Your Signature Celebrity Fragrance?

Everyone from One Direction and Justin Bieber to Taylor Swift and Rihanna have their own fragrances — some even have multiples.

To help you decide which celeb scent is right for you, we picked our 5 favorites. 

If you're feeling girlie try ...
One Direction Our Moment, $59.50, macys.com

If you're feeling sophisticated try ...
Justin Bieber The Key, $49.50, macys.com

If you're feeling cool try ...
Taylor by Taylor Swift, $59.50, macys.com

If you're feeling bold try ...
Rihanna Rogue, $49, macys.com

If you're feeling Laid back try ...

Adam Levine fragrance, $65, macys.com

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Why Justin Bieber Isn't Going to Selena Gomez's Birthday Party

Justin was still expected to show up at Selena's 22nd birthday party next week, despite her friends' protests. But according to Hollywood Life, Justin has other plans for July 22nd — and they don't involve Selena.In fact, he's just going paintballing. "Selena is not only not going, but she wasn’t even invited," the source said. 

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Japan to Offer Subsidy on Fuel Cell Cars to Promote the Technology

Japan to Offer Subsidy on Fuel Cell Cars to Promote the Technology:

Reuters

Japan will offer at least 2 million yen ($19,700) in subsidies for fuel-cell vehicles, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said according to media, as the government and Japanese carmakers including Toyota Motor Corp join forces to speed up the introduction the vehicles.

The subsidy would mean that consumers would pay about 5 million yen for Toyota's fuel-cell sedan, which is set to go on sale by the end of March 2015 and priced at about 7 million yen.

Abe, who visited a hydrogen station and test-drove fuel-cell cars on Friday, vowed to back the technology through subsidies and the purchase of the cars by government agencies.

"This is the car of a new era because it doesn't emit any carbon dioxide and it's environmentally friendly," Abe told reporters. "The government needs to support this."

Abe's growth strategy promotes the use of hydrogen energy and fuel-cell cars, which use hydrogen as fuel and run on electricity from cells that combine hydrogen with oxygen and emit only water vapour and heat, though some carbon dioxide is emitted when hydrogen is produced from hydrocarbons.

Honda Motor Co is also set to start selling its fuel-cell vehicle in 2015.

Both the government and many industry experts reckon the technology could take decades to become widely used partly because of the costs of building up infrastructure of hydrogen fuel stations.

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