A 20-year-old Brit has been formally charged for hacking into a number of sites in the US.
Ryan Cleary, from Essex, has been accused by US prosecutors of breaking into various websites, including the US X-Factor site – he could face a maximum of 25 years in jail if convicted.
He is also facing similar charges in the UK after allegedly hacking into the website of the Serious Organised Crime Agency.
He is also accused of conspiring to steal the confidential information of people who singed up for info about the US X-Factor show. This was the first hack to have been claimed by LulzSec, a group suspected to be linked with hacktivists Anonymous.

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...-the-us/028513 ...

It could be on the cards as Amazon reportedly prepares for an international Appstore release.
Amazon's Appstore is a strict Android-only arena. It was launched in March last year in an attempt to build revenues and engagement between its Kindle device users, all of which run on Google's OS, as well as general Android device owners.
However, despite passing 31,000 apps on the platform, it's only available in the the US, along with its Kindle Fire tablet, which received mass adoption in Q4 when it sold around four million devices, though sales fell to a dismal 700,000 in Q1.
Now, AllThingsD reports the Amazon Appstore is due for a European launch this summer, with an official announcement due in weeks. If true, an international Kindle Fire launch could follow, and likely stimulate sales.
The appstore roll out would also provide developers with a better chance to monetise their apps, and potentially generate more downloads, ultimately driving more interest from other third parties, and in turn, consumers.

http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/read/...-launch/018318 ...

Will enable parents to prevent inappropriate content access via apps and mobile web.
Mobile and online security provider AVG's Family Safety platform is a web browser that blocks explicit content, malware, scams and fraud, sparing children from accessing it.
AVG has now expanded the service as an app to iPhone, iPad and Windows Phone devices, as the number of kids accessing their own mobiles, as well as their parents', continues to grow.
After parents have downloaded the app, they need to link it to the Family Safety account, where they can control the filtering options and expand it from PC to mobile.
JR Smith, CEO of AVG Technologies, said: "With people increasingly using mobile devices to access social networks and browse the web, protecting these devices against online threats has become vital.
"Online scams and attacks are on the rise and can occur on any platform with access to the web. AVG aims to protect its users wherever they go. With AVG Family Safety for iOS and Windows Phone, we provide our users the peace of mind that they and their children are protected against online threats on these mobile platforms too."

http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/read/...-winpho/018319 ...

Contrary to what we'd heard, it seems as if you and your friends won't be able to enjoy some of that dual GamePad play on Nintendo's upcoming Wii U -- at least not until some time after the novel gaming console launches later "this holiday." During an interview with Gamasutra, Reggie Fils-Aime (Nintendo of America President) said, "Games need to be built that can take advantage of the two GamePad controllers" and that "it's going to be well after launch for those game experiences to come to life." According to Fils-Aine, developers will have to first place all their focus on "asymetric gameplay," before eventually adding support for two GamePads on their titles. Notably, the revelation comes shortly after he himself confirmed the Wii U GamePad won't be featuring any multi-touch capabilities. Not all is lost, however, you'll just have to wait it out a little longer than expected, or make due with one of those Wii remotes you have laying around in the meantime.

http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/13/n...-after-launch/ ...

A group of Congressmen have sent letters to the US International Trade Commission over issues between Microsoft and Motorola
A group of Congressmen have sent letters to the US International Trade Commission asking the organization to decide against a ban of the Xbox 360 console. ITC administrative law judge David Shaw recommended a ban after Microsoft's console was found to infringe on patents held by Motorola Mobility. The Congressmen accused Motorola of abusing fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory (FRAND) patents to seek an exclusion order. They join a growing chorus against the ban on the console, including recent additions Activision and IBM.
"It would be severely detrimental to the U.S. economy to allow an essential patent holder to obtain an injuction against an industry participant instead of licensing their patents on FRAND terms," patent lawyer Mark G. Davis of Weil, Gotshal & Mangeswrote to US ITC secretary Lisa Burton.
Eight members of the US House of Representatives wrote a letter to ITC chief Deanna Okun opposing the ban: Rep. Dave Reichert, Rep. Norm Dicks, Rep. Jim McDermott, Rep, Doc Hastings, Rep. Adam Smith, Rep. Rick Larsen, Rep. Cathey McMorris Rodgers, and Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler.
"An exclusion order against the Xbox 360 consoles could threaten high-paying America jobs and continued economic growth in Washington and throughout the nation," they said in their joint letter.
Other tech companies including HP and Nokia have backed Microsoft in this matter. The US Federal Trade Commission also came out against the ban last week, according to Bloomberg. At the time, Motorola said it was willing to license the patent, but Microsoft and Apple were not willing to come to terms.
"To date, however, neither party has been willing to enter into a cross-license on reasonable terms and thus we all find ourselves in seemingly endless litigation," said Motorola in a statement.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...t-xbox-360-ban

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Making financial commitment to new titles is easier with 64m users, says Ryan

Sony Computer Entertainment

Sony Computer Entertainment is a Japanese videogame company specialising in a variety of areas in the...

www.playstation.com

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe

eu.playstation.com

Sony has acknowledged that Nintendo's forthcoming console the Wii U may turn the heads of technology consumers, but it's confident a portfolio of new brands can keep audiences focused on the PlayStation 3.
While many publishers are relying on established franchises and sequels to tread water during the final years of the current generation of consoles, Sony is still investing in brand new IP, evidenced by Naughty Dog's The Last of Us and Quantic Dream's Beyond: Two Souls taking centre stage at E3 last week.
"It becomes economically easier if you've got an installed base of 64 million," said Sony Europe boss Jim Ryan, of creating new intellectual property six years after its console was first released. "Making that financial commitment to this sort of thing is a lot easier than if you've got 6 million."
"It becomes economically easier if you've got an installed base of 64 million"
Jim Ryan

Nintendo tried to dominate last week's E3 with software reveals and more details of the Wii U to a mixed response from attendees. And with price and release details still up in the air for the new console, Sony doesn't yet feel threatened by the new hardware.
"It's obviously a potential risk but we feel really good about our content," said Ryan. "Obviously, it comes down to content. There are people who buy gadgets for the sake of the gadget, but that's pretty niche. We feel good about our line-up that we showed at E3. We're very excited about publishing it. We've got 30 million (hardware sales target) for this year, it's a big number but we've got the tools to go out and deliver that."
While Sony's PlayStation 3 portfolio looked strong, its PlayStation Vita showing was muted during the conference, with only a number of hardware bundles and a brief mention of a new Call of Duty title for release this year - although only a logo and no footage of the title were shown.
"The dating of Call of Duty isn't something I would call a little announcement," offered Ryan. "Yes, there's wasn't any demonstration of the game but having that franchise on the platform before Christmas is a huge bit of news. Obviously Activision is the publisher of the game so what can be shown is down to them but having that, Assassin's Creed, FIFA and LittleBigPlanet, those four blockbuster IPs on the platform ahead of Christmas makes us feel pretty confident," he added.
The Vita handheld has been criticised for a lack of new releases, with the quiet showing during E3 adding fuel to critics who say Sony is neglecting the console so shortly after release. But Ryan insisted that the console will deliver the content demanded from early adopters, and there is no change to Sony's roadmap for the machine.
"Yes, there's wasn't any demonstration of the game but having that franchise on the platform before Christmas is a huge bit of news"
Sony's Jim Ryan on Call of Duty Vita

"Over the balance of this year we see 60 new titles coming to the platform. There is breadth and depth, so I think anyone who has invested in the platform should feel reassured by that.
"In terms of content that's going to release in the rest of 2012 there's no change. Obviously just the time lines for development would mean that if we had made any decisions about changing strategy it would be next year or the year after that it would reflect itself in what's available in the market.
"There is, as with all platforms, the people that you sell to in the first year aren't the people that you sell to in year's five or six, that's the nature of the beast. Have we abruptly changed course in 2012? Absolutely not," he said.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...aith-in-new-ip

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UK games trade body UKIE will launch a massive media campaign to promote the new PEGI age ratings system before it becomes enforceable in July.
As part of this, the organisation will be relaunching the AskAboutGames.com website, which will once again provide parents with information on video games, the industry and the PEGI ratings.
UKIE has enlisted family gaming expert Andy Robertson (known for Family Gamer TV and Geek Dad) to run the website.
"Working with UKIE on AskAboutGames.com and the Control.Collaborate.Create campaign is an excellent opportunity to broaden how video games are perceived," said Robertson.
"Through videos, blogs and reviews AskAboutGames will engage families of all shapes and sizes with information and tools to better understand and get more from the games they play."
Meanwhile the main campaign has been entitled Control.Collaborate.Create, and will run from July to December.
Control refers to educating parents about how they can check what games their children are playing, with the help of PEGI ratings when purchasing and the parental controls built-in to various consoles.
Collaborate will encourage parents to engage with and understand the games their children are playing, in the hopes of dispelling certain myths.
Create messages will promote video games as a creative and beneficial activity for people of all ages.
A video will be circulated to the national and parenting press and bloggers, raising awareness of what the industry does to promote responsible gaming.
Meanwhile, a competition will run to find the UK's "most collaborative and creative game-playing families", who will become Family Ambassadors for the campaign. This kicks off at Games Britannia Festival in July, and prizes include personalised games characters created by a top UK developer.
UKIE CEO Dr. Jo Twist said: "We know games are played by more and more people every day but there continue to be myths about them and it can be confusing for parents to know what games their children should be playing and how they should be playing them.
"That's why UKIE is creating the national Control.Collaborate.Create campaign and relaunching the AskAboutGames website, to promote tools like PEGI and to encourage people to have honest and open conversations about games, and how they can be enjoyed responsibly as part of our everyday entertainment experience."

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/ukie-...-launch/097863 ...

Amazon UK have today gone out on a limb and put up a preorder price of £199 for the WiiU, the newest of Nintendo`s consoles that is due to be released before this Christmas, the price of £199 is much lower than other prices from shops like Shopto who put a price of an RRP of £279.99 only a few days ago.

Heres some details about the WiiU:

Discover a wealth of exciting new ways to enjoy home entertainment with Wii U, Nintendo's next home console. With a revolutionary new touch screen controller, precision motion controls, and full HD graphics, a whole new world of play styles and gaming possibilities is on the horizon. The time is coming to truly expand your idea about what a game console is - and can be. The system launches in 2012 and includes the new Wii U console and amazing new controller.

A New Wii Console Experience

According to Nintendo President Satoru Iwata, "Wii U redefines the structure of home entertainment by fundamentally changing how the TV, the game console and the Internet function and interact together", he continues, "The experience enabled by Wii U and its new controller takes players deeper into their games, while reaching out wider than ever before to be inviting to all kinds of gamers".
A new Wii console experience that fundamentally changes how the TV, game console and the Internet function and interact together.
View larger.

A unique new controller packed with advanced features.
View larger.

An exciting roster of new games and software available at launch, as well as backwards compatibility to all Wii games.
View larger.

Wii U combines motion-sensing gameplay with the ability to support full HD graphics. Each Wii U console will be paired with a new groundbreaking controller, with its 6.2-inch wide screen. Previously, video games played on home consoles have been confined to the TV and offered identical viewpoints to each player in a multiplayer environment. The Wii U controller enhances that experience with different viewpoints available in-game and in differing games/game situations. Also, watching TV and playing console games have been completely separate experiences. The new controller removes these boundaries, creating a more dynamic and fluid gaming and entertainment experience. Examples of this new functionality include:

Within Single Player Games:

• While in-game the new controller can display information on its screen that does not appear on the TV
• The information and viewpoint can also change in the new controller based on the orientation of its gyroscope

Within Multiplayer Games:

• The player using the new controller can have a different experience than those looking at the TV creating a wider variety of competitive and cooperative opportunities

The New Controller

In addition to its 6.2-inch screen, the new controller also features an accelerometer and a gyroscope, a rumble feature, an inward-facing camera, a microphone and speakers. Adding these features to the Classic Controller button scheme -- two analogue Circle Pads, +Control Pad, A/B/X/Y buttons, L/R buttons and ZL/ZR buttons -- will enable a breadth of gameplay experiences while appealing to both casual and dedicated video game players. The Wii U system can also use up to four additional Wii Remote or Wii Remote Plus controllers and is backward compatible to all Wii games and all Wii accessories. The Wii console has sold more than 86 million units globally and greatly expanded the overall audience for video games. Wii U aims to expand that audience even further.

The Wii U Release Software Lineup

Wii U will feature a wide variety of exciting first and third party games and software at the time of system launch. Just a few of those players can expect include:

• New Super Mario Bros. Mii
• Darksiders II
• DiRT
• Aliens Colonial Marines
• Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Online
• Metro Last Light
• Tekken
• Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge (working title)
• And Nintendo Mii-based software yet to be confirmed

Technical Specifications

• Console Size - Approximately 1.8-inches tall, 6.8-inches wide and 10.5-inches long.
• New Controller - The new controller incorporates a 6.2-inch, 16:9 touch screen and traditional button controls, including two analogue circle pads. This combination removes the traditional barriers between games, players and the TV by creating a second window into the video game world. The rechargeable controller includes a power button, home button, +control pad, A/B/X/Y buttons, L/R buttons and ZL/ZR buttons. It includes a built-in accelerometer and gyroscope, rumble feature, camera, a microphone, stereo speakers, a sensor strip and a stylus.
• Other Controls - Up to four Wii Remote (or Wii Remote Plus) controllers can be connected at once. The new console supports all Wii controllers and input devices, including the Nunchuk controller, Classic Controller and Wii Balance Board.
• Media - A single self-loading media bay will play 12-centimetre proprietary high-density optical discs for the new console, as well as 12-centimetre

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In March, when Microsoft hired Phil Harrison, it was widely assumed that it was his time at Sony that got him the job. Harrison, however, tells us that while that was no doubt a factor, it was what he did in the years following his departure from Sony that were key.
Speaking to us at E3 last week, Harrison, once president of Sony's Worldwide Studios and now corporate vice-president of Microsoft's IEB division, bemoaned the "lazy" headlines - "Sony bloke joins Microsoft," as he puts it - that followed his appointment. Lazy, perhaps, but understandable; Harrison was a core member of the team that launched every console in the PlayStation family, and was widely perceived as the public face of PS3 in its early days.
Following his departure from Sony in 2007, Harrison joined Infogrames as president, and in 2010 he co-founded London Venture Partners, which invested in and advised UK mobile, social and cloud videogame companies. That made him the ideal man for Microsoft, whose E3 conference made it abundantly clear that the company's plans extend far beyond console gaming.
"[That experience] is incredibly relevant, and I believe it's one of the reasons why they wanted me to be part of the team," he told us. "I think there's been some lazy headline writing … [but] that's not really what it is.
"It's the four years I've spent in the middle, working with mobile companies, with social and cloud companies, investing in businesses, understanding new business and audience engagement models. That, I think, is giving me a toolbox to play with which is very relevant to the future of Microsoft and Xbox."
That future, of course, remains shrouded in secrecy, but Harrison admits that what drew him to Microsoft was "the strength of the vision. I signed an NDA, and was exposed to the future roadmap of the company going many years into the future and that, combined with the talent in the senior leadership team, was what convinced me to join."
That Microsoft has the financial means to do pretty much as it pleases, of course, was also a factor, and Harrison praises the "amazing resources" at his disposal. The immediate focus is onSmartGlass, the cross-platform, second-screen technology that will launch later this year. That, Harrison says, neatly encapsulates what drew him to Microsoft, and vice versa.
"It's a really complicated technical problem to solve - to get the integration seamlessly play and resume on different devices and move content from the screen to the touch device, and vice versa, via the cloud," he said. "I think Microsoft is one of a small handful of companies on the planet that has the capability to do it."

http://www.edge-online.com/news/why-...ined-microsoft ...