Monday, 16 March 2020

PLDT encourages families to stay at home amid COVID-19 situation, provides a speed boost

Amid the "enhanced community quarantine" implemented by the Philippine government due to the ongoing Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) situation, local telco giant PLDT encourages every to stay home.
PLDT encourages families to stay at home amid COVID-19 situation, provides a speed boost
Speed boost by PLDT

PLDT wants you to stay at home because of the COVID-19 outbreak

PLDT Home will be providing a speed boost for Fibr subscribers so the minimum speed will be 25 Mbps until April 30, 2020.

The speed boost is applicable to residents of Metro Manila and parts of Greater Manila including Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal.

PLDT said that it hopes that the speed boost will help the families of its users work and study at home as seamlessly as possible.

On his personal Facebook account, Head, Public Affairs and Corporate Communications at PLDT and Smart Communications Mon Isberto added:

Let's use this to stay informed so we can act smartly and protect ourselves and our families.

Apart from the upgrade in speed, PLDT and Smart have provided FREE access to the DoH COVID-19 tracker and other government websites.

Stay safe everyone!

Source: Mon Isberto


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Coronavirus ruining your music-making plans? These two synth apps are now free.

Moog Synth AppMoog Music

Are you a musician stuck at home thanks to the novel coronavirus? Are your fingers itching to create new melodies but you can’t really get out of the house? Well, we’ve got some good news for you.

The Moog and Korg synth apps have now been made free given the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

To start, Moog has made its Minimoog Model D Synthesizer app free on iOS. The app lets you jump in and play with over 160 presets. It also includes features such as stereo ping-pong delay effect, real-time looping recorder, and more.

Moog said in a tweet that it made the app free as a gift to spread positivity, creativity, and expression. It clarified whether the app will remain free forever or if this is just a limited time deal. In any case, it’s best to act fast and download it while it’s still complimentary.

Meanwhile, Korg is also making its Kaossilator apps free on Android and iOS. Korg’s deal is a time-limited offer and musicians who use Android can grab the app for no charge until March 20. Artists using iOS have until March 31 to take Korg up on its offer.

Korg’s Kaossilator is also a synthesizer app that gives you access to a wide range of sounds and tools to create music. It’s no match for a professional recording studio, but it’s one of the best options out there if you’re stuck at home right now.


Know of any other paid apps going free because of the coronavirus pandemic? Drop us a line in the comments section below.

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U.S. ITC Launches Investigation Into Capacitive Devices Made by Apple and Others Following Patent Infringement Complaint

The United States International Trade Commission today announced an investigation into possible patent violations involving capacitive touch-controlled devices, computers, and components created by Apple, Amazon, Samsung, and others, reports Reuters.


According to a document announcing the investigation [PDF], it stems from a February complaint filed by Irish company Neodron claiming Apple and other companies are infringing on Neodron-owned patents related to touch-based devices.
The investigation is based on a complaint filed by Neodron, Ltd., of Dublin, Ireland, on February 14, 2020. The complaint alleges violations of section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930 in the importation into the United States and sale of certain capacitive touch-controlled mobile devices, computers, and components thereof that infringe patents asserted by the complainant. The complainant requests that the USITC issue a limited exclusion order and cease and desist orders.
The ITC will investigate the complaint, which involves Amazon, Apple, ASUSTek, ASUS computer International, LG Electronics, LG Electronics USA, Microsoft, Motorola, Samsung, Sony, and Sony Mobile Communications to determine if there have been patent violations under section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930.

Neodron is ultimately seeking a limited exclusion order and cease and desist orders against the companies involved in the investigation. The ITC says that the launch of the investigation does not mean that a decision has been made on the merits of the case.

The case will be assigned to an administrative law judge who will schedule and hold an evidentiary hearing to make an initial determination as to whether there is indeed a patent infringement issue.

The U.S. ITC previously announced a similar investigation into touch-controlled devices, computers, and components in June, but Apple was not part of that particular investigation, which has now been expanded.
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Coronavirus movie delays: Which streaming films can you watch instead?

a quiet place part 2 coronavirus movie delays

The coronavirus outbreak is upon us, and it’s affecting daily life for nearly everyone. That includes the movie industry. A number of upcoming major film releases have announced lengthy delays to their release schedules. Not only that, but more movie theaters are shutting down indefinitely. So, what specific coronavirus movie delays can you expect? Also, what films should you watch in their place? While obviously nothing is going to be as exciting as watching a new movie, there are plenty of decent similar (or prequel) movies that you might want to watch while you wait!

1. A Quiet Place Part II

Writer-director John Krasinski’s highly anticipated sequel to his monster invasion hit from 2018 was supposed to come out this weekend, on March 20. However, Krasinski announced last week A Quiet Place Part II will be delayed until further notice.

Streaming alternatives

While it’s not the same, now might be a great time to rewatch the first one. The original film, A Quiet Place, is currently available to stream for Amazon Prime Video subscribers. You can also see Krasinski himself playing Tom Clancy’s action hero Jack Ryan in Amazon Prime’s series of the same name.

2.Mulan

Disney’s live-action version of its hit animated film was due to be released to theaters on March 27. Now, the film is a victim of the coronavirus movie delays, with no release date scheduled.

Streaming alternatives

Disney Plus has the original 1998 animated movie to stream right now. You can also watch the 2005 direct-to-DVD sequel, Mulan II, on Disney Plus.

3. Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway

The CGI-live action sequel to the surprise 2018 adaptation of the classic children’s book was supposed to get its sequel on April 3. Now, the movie won’t be released until August 7

Streaming alternatives

While the original Peter Rabbit movie is not available on any streaming services, you can watch another bunny-themed GCI-live action film on Netflix, Hop.

4. The New Mutants

This long, long-delayed Marvel Comics superhero-horror film was supposed to have been released nearly two years ago. Disney finally set up a “final” date of April 3 before the current crisis occurred. Now it joins the many coronavirus movie delays, with no current release date.

Streaming alternative

Disney Plus has the original X-Men animated series available to stream, so you can see how the Marvel mutant superhero trend started to become a mainstream hit.

5. No Time To Die

The 25th official James Bond film, and the 5th to star Daniel Craig, has also seen its release date pushed back more than once. It was supposed to be released in the US on April 10, but instead, it was the first of the major coronavirus movie delays. 007 won’t return until November 25, 2020.

Streaming alternative

You can watch all four films starring Craig’s predecessor in the role of James Bond, Pierce Bronson, right now on Netflix. Catch Goldeneye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough and Die Another Day to get your 007 fix.

6. Antlers

This horror film, about a creature that attacks the citizens of a town in Oregon, was due in theaters on April 17. Now there is no new release date, thanks to the coronavirus.

Streaming alternative

You can stream Hostiles, the 2017 Western film directed by Antlers director Scott Cooper, right now on Netflix.

7. Fast 9

The highly popular, over-the-top, car-themed spy thriller movie series was going to release its ninth installment on May 22. Now, the film won’t be released until April 2021.

Streaming alternative

If you sign up for HBO Now, you can watch Fast Five via streaming, and the recent spin-off film Hobbes & Shaw.

More coronavirus movie delays coming soon?

This may just be the start of many more movies that will have their theater release dates delayed due to the coronavirus. With big cities like New York City and Los Angeles shutting down movie theaters, we can expect more films that were set to be released this summer to have their dates pushed back. Furthermore, other films currently in production for release later in 2020 or in 2021 have now been suspended as well. It’s likely some of their release dates will be changed if the outbreak threat continues. We’ll be sure to update this post to keep you up to date.



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French Regulators Fine Apple $1.2 Billion for Anti-Competitive Behavior

France's competition watchdog on Monday fined Apple 1.1 billion euros ($1.23 billion) for anti-competitive behavior in its distribution network and an abuse of economic dependence on its resellers, reports Reuters.

In announcing its largest ever fine against an economic player, France's L’Autorité de la concurrence also levied fines of $84.7 million and $69 million against Apple premium resellers Tech Data and Ingram Micro for their roles in the anti-competitive practices.

Two of Apple's wholesalers, Tech Data and Ingram Micro, were fined 63 million euros and 76 million euros respectively, for unlawfully agreeing on prices, the authority said.

"Apple and its two wholesalers have agreed not to compete with each other and to prevent distributors from competing with each other, thereby sterilizing the wholesale market for Apple products," it said.
Apple in its October earnings call said that France's competition authority had alleged that some aspects of its sales and distribution practices were in violation of French law, but did not provide details on which aspects of its business were under investigation.

Apple earlier this year was fined 25 million euros by French consumer fraud group DGCCRF for intentionally slowing down iPhone 6, ‌‌iPhone‌‌ SE, and ‌‌iPhone‌‌ 7 models with the power management software that was meant to prevent older iPhones with degraded batteries from shutting down during times of peak power usage.
Tag: France

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