2019 | CompuScoop.com

Sony shutting down PlayStation Vue

CompuScoop Staff October 29, 2019 0

Over four years ago, we made a bold decision to change the rules and revolutionize the traditional TV-viewing experience in the U.S. with PlayStation Vue. We set the bar high and sought to innovate an established industry by delivering a modern TV experience. By completely rethinking live and on demand television, we offered an incredible user experience that allowed viewers to discover and watch content in completely new ways.

Today we are announcing that we will shut down the PlayStation Vue service on January 30, 2020. Unfortunately, the highly competitive Pay TV industry, with expensive content and network deals, has been slower to change than we expected. Because of this, we have decided to remain focused on our core gaming business.

PlayStation fans can continue to access movie and TV content through the PlayStation Store on PS4 and via our partnerships with top entertainment apps. With 100 million PlayStation 4s in the market today, our community continues to grow and thrive. We will continue to deliver the best entertainment experiences across the network, along with other key gaming services, including PlayStation Now and PlayStation Plus.

We are very proud of what PlayStation Vue was able to accomplish. We had ambitious goals for how our service could change how people watch TV, showcasing PlayStation’s ability to innovate in a brand-new category within the Pay TV industry. We want to thank all of our customers, some of whom have been with us since PlayStation Vue’s launch in 2015.

We appreciate your continued support as we move through this transitional period and look toward the future.

Via: The official PlayStation Blog

Three episodes of “The Morning Show” coming to Apple TV on November 1st

CompuScoop Staff October 29, 2019 0

Following the world premiere of Apple TV+ exclusive "The Morning Show" in New York City on Monday, Apple announced the series' first three episodes will be available to stream when the service debuts this week.

Via: AppleInsider.com

Why the HP and ExpressVPN Partnership Is Good News for Privacy

Tech Warn October 29, 2019 0

Hewlett Packard (HP) – a leading hardware OEM specializing in desktop and laptop computers – made one of their many silent moves in partnering up with ExpressVPN. This can be seen in the way of their launch of a recent Spectre x360 13 laptop which comes with a VPN from the above-named company on board.

Of course, this is not the first time that a company has linked up with another to make products mutually available to consumers. However, this is not just any move by the company, but one dedicated towards better security and safety of the users.

What makes the laptop special?

Before we go into the specifics of this partnership, the HP Spectre x360 13 has already laid the groundwork for the inclusion of this VPN. We are not interested in talking about the specs here – of which the laptop is nothing short of impressive – but the added features which make this one a great choice for people who care about their privacy.

The first in line is the physical webcam kill switch which is designed to remove the webcam from all other electrical components on the laptop whenever engaged. This beats just turning the webcam off when not in use as it can still be remotely turned on by a hacker.

Of course, webcam hacking and spying has been a problem for a long Time now. Besides hackers, government agencies and even your employer could be doing it.

So concerning is this issue that even Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, was once photographed with a tape over his webcam. Now that the physical button from HP is there, you no longer have to resort to such crude measures.

There is likewise a dedicated LED button on the keyboard to mute the microphone. This will solve the problem of having others listening in on your conversations.

Already, all of Amazon and Google – all big names in the home assistant game – have been rightly accused of listening in on user conversations even when the assistants have not been voice-activated at all. It needs no telling that a hardware mic can also be hacked for the same purposes.

With these in tow, the HP Spectre x360 13 is dedicated to privacy as much as it can be.

The place of a VPN

We have seen numerous computers come with a preinstalled antivirus to help fight against malware attacks which could threaten user data privacy. If this partnership between HP and ExpressVPN shows anything, though, it is how important VPNs are becoming in the same fight.

In fact, they handle the blind spots of antivirus software, and they do it well.

ExpressVPN will help protect users against the many dangers of public Wi-Fi networks which users might have been unknowingly exposed to. This includes all of man in the middle attacks, possible unauthorized malware installations, data snooping and monitoring.

This, the VPN does by layering and encrypting your internet connection via the multiple servers it ships with, making it impossible for anyone to follow your data trail or even identify your internet traffic.

Don’t worry about getting the encryption hacked either. With their 256-bit, FBI-grade encryption level, the hackers will need a few hundred years to make that happen.

Speaking of multiple servers, you can also use the VPN to take advantage of faster internet speeds in other locations, escape geo-blocking attempts by content creators and beat censorship, among other things.

In short, including a VPN into the pre-installed software build promises customers and users of the HP Spectre x360 13 a lot in the utilities department – and we can’t wait to see what enthusiasts think of it.

NASA Posts Photo Of Sun Looking Like Giant Flaming Jack-O’-Lantern

CompuScoop Staff October 28, 2019 0

(CNN) — If you thought the super blood wolf moon was scary, you haven’t seen what the sun is capable of.

NASA on Sunday shared a photo on Facebook and Twitter of the sun looking a lot like a giant flaming jack-o’-lantern.

The space agency captured the spooky image on October 8, 2014. The face is the result of active regions of the sun burning more brightly than others, NASA said.

“They are markers of an intense and complex set of magnetic fields hovering in the sun’s atmosphere, the corona,” NASA said. “This image blends together two sets of extreme ultraviolet wavelengths at 171 and 193 Ångströms, typically colorized in gold and yellow, to create a particularly Halloween-like appearance.”

NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, which took the photo, is constantlymonitoring the sun from its orbit in space.

NASA is inviting people to download a high-res image of the pumpkin sun, “just in time for Halloween.”

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="480"] Source: NASA[/caption]