LG on Monday announced the beta release of its own iCloud competitor, dubbed LG Cloud. The service allows users to manage and consume all types of content across Android smartphones, PCs and smart TVs. “Most companies today only see the cloud as a storage device or in the case of YouTube or Flickr, only for one type of content,” LG’s Home Entertainment President and CEO Havis Kwon said. “LG makes the devices that millions of people watch content on so we can set a new yardstick for ease of use by setting up our own cloud service. Tomorrow’s consumers don’t want to go to one cloud for music, another cloud for video, another location for photos and yet another cloud for their office files. In the end, our solution is about making life more convenient.” LG Smart TV or smartphone owners may be eligible to receive 50GB of free LG Cloud storage for six months. The company’s cloud service will be offered in both free and paid versions, with each member allotted 5GB of free storage. Read on for LG’s press release.

LG INTRODUCES THE FIRST REAL STREAMING MULTIMEDIA CLOUD FOR ALL THREE SCREENS

Unique Cloud Service Offers Content Consumption and Seamless Connectivity via TVs, Mobile Devices and PC

SEOUL, APR. 30, 2012 — LG Electronics (LG) announced the beta opening of LG Cloud service on May 1 with the aim of providing seamless connectivity and streaming access to all digital content across various electronic devices. Although cloud is today’s hottest IT buzzwords, LG Cloud is the first that allows users to manage and consume all types of content on “three screens” which includes Android smartphones, PCs and smart TVs (including but not limited to CINEMA 3D models) without a separate set-top box.To use the service, users need to download the LG Cloud app from Google Play or LG SmartWorld app store from their Android smartphones, LG SmartWorld store from their LG Smart TVs or the LG Cloud website (www.lgecloud.com) from their PCs or laptops.

LG’s Cloud service automatically synchronizes smartphone content with the cloud server and the user’s PC and TV. Photos and videos taken with the smartphone can be viewed and streamed to the PC or TV almost instantaneously. Videos edited on a PC can be uploaded to LG Cloud for viewing seconds later on a smartphone. Unlike other cloud services, there’s very little waiting or lag time since the content is streamed to the TV, PC or smartphone, not downloaded first.

The difference is in LG’s Real-time Streaming Transcoding technology. The conversion happens on the server in realtime, not on the device. There is no need to worry about installing codecs or converters, everything happens seamlessly and in the background with no involvement from the user. No other cloud service can make this same claim.The service also works perfectly with 3D content. Vacation videos taken with an LG 3D smartphone can be uploaded via 3G or Wi-Fi to the LG Cloud service. Back home in the comforts of the living room, the family can watch the vacation footage as it streams from LG Cloud to their LG CINEMA 3D Smart TV in superb three dimensions.

To better develop cloud services that prioritize convergence, LG created a new division called Smart Business Center to focus specifically on content and services. Havis Kwon, President and CEO of LG’s Home Entertainment Company, is also responsible for the new Smart Business Center.

“Most companies today only see the cloud as a storage device or in the case of YouTube or Flickr, only for one type of content,” said LG’s Mr. Kwon. “LG makes the devices that millions of people watch content on so we can set a new yardstick for ease of use by setting up our own cloud service. Tomorrow’s consumers don’t want to go to one cloud for music, another cloud for video, another location for photos and yet another cloud for their office files. In the end, our solution is about making life more convenient.”

LG Cloud will be offered as both a free and paid service. Free storage space and pricing will differ market to market and will be announced separately as the service becomes available in that country.

Set to the tune of Don McLean's American Pie, Karen Chang sang an epic song announcing her resignation from Microsoft that included quips about making "cells and numbers dance", "long lines of code" and where she's going next. Everyone who resigns from their job should be forced to do a song and dance number like this. [YouTube via Neatorama] More »

Set to the tune of Don McLean's American Pie, Karen Chang sang an epic song announcing her resignation from Microsoft that included quips about making "cells and numbers dance", "long lines of code" and where she's going next. Everyone who resigns from their job should be forced to do a song and dance number like this. [YouTube via Neatorama] More »

Sure, Google's previous Coachella stream ran about as smoothly as Woodstock 1999's final hours, but that's no reason to abandon the idea. Mountain View has decided to give it another go, streaming 2012's Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on Youtube and to properly equipped devices. Looking to get your rock on? Hit the source link below.

PSA: Watch Coachella on YouTube, Google devices for free this weekend originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Apr 2012 23:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google named official social platform of 2012 Republican National Convention originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Apr 2012 17:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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For as much as everybody loves to hate 3D, there seems no end remakes and reboots touting it. Even YouTube is jumping on board, announcing today that all short-form videos uploaded in 1080p will automatically be converted to the 3D format. More »

YouTube lets you watch 1080p 2D videos in '3D' with your anaglyph specs originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Apr 2012 14:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The BBC has home field advantage for the 2012 Olympics, and it's revealing more details about how it plans to broadcast over 2,500 hours of live sports on 24 channels that viewers can watch pretty much anywhere. Director Roger Mosey indicates it started out as a way to watch all 24 streams on the BBC Sport website via PCs or mobile devices, but has been expanded to offer the streams through television operators as well. So far Sky and Freesat are confirmed in, while Freeview users can punch up two extra channels via the program guide or red button. On this side of the Atlantic, the most recent news is that NBC Sports Network (formerly Versus) will be right alongside the broadcast NBC channel (which has its own streaming plans in combination with YouTube) with a "record" amount of Olympic coverage. It could air as many as 300 hours of content from London, as well as some of the Olympic Trials. Hit the source links below for more details, we'll probably be hearing much more before the Olympic Flame makes its way to the stadium July 27th.

Continue reading BBC Olympic coverage to include 24 live HD channels available on TVs, phones, PCs and tablets

BBC Olympic coverage to include 24 live HD channels available on TVs, phones, PCs and tablets originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Apr 2012 17:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Was this prophecy about 2012 true? Or perhaps this prediction about 2008, if belatedly so? More »

We knew it'd be arriving on April 1st, but now we're actually longing for it. HBO has just released a half-minute teaser propping up the impending release of HBO GO on Xbox 360, and while it's available on a plethora of other platforms, being able to verbally command HBO (through Kinect, of course) to play your favorite shows just takes the enticement up another level. Care to see for yourself? Tap that video just after the jump.

Continue reading HBO GO teases vocal controls via Kinect, coming soon to Xbox 360 (video)

HBO GO teases vocal controls via Kinect, coming soon to Xbox 360 (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Mar 2012 16:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading NBC, YouTube pair up for synchronized streaming at London 2012

NBC, YouTube pair up for synchronized streaming at London 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Mar 2012 14:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple will take the wraps off its highly anticipated iPad 3 next week and we have a pretty good idea of what to expect. Recurring reports point to an upgraded 9.7-inch display with 2,048 x 1,536-pixel Retina-like resolution, a faster quad-core Apple A6 processor, embedded 4G LTE connectivity on top of 3G and Wi-Fi, and a slightly redesigned case that is about 1 millimeter thicker than the iPad 2. We also have a pretty good idea of what not to expect, and that includes just about everything you’ll see in Aatma Studio’s iPad 3 concept video.

The 3D animators who brought us an amazing iPhone 5 concept video that has racked up more than 45.6 million views on YouTube is back, and this time they’ve strung together some fascinating ideas to create the iPad of the future. Notable features include an edge-to-edge Retina Display, internal magnets and NFC capabilities that allow multiple iPads to be daisy chained together, integrated projectors that shine interactive controls on surfaces surrounding the iPad, a holographic display and more.

We might see a few of these features make it to the iPad 10, but it’s safe to say the iPad 3 won’t be quite this impressive. Then again, we might be more likely to see a holographic edge-to-edge Retina Display and integrated projectors on the iPad 3 than we are to see some of the other rumors that have been reported over the past few months pan out. Aatma’s video follows below.

Honeycomb and Ice Cream Sandwich Android-running hardware has had access to HD resolution YouTube streams since launch (as seen above), but an update to the app that rolled out yesterday finally brings HD to some devices running Froyo or Gingerbread. The catch is that YouTube HD res won't work on every Android 2.2 or 2.3 phone or tablet, as we're told it is set dynamically based on screen size and resolution. Another quirk is that some devices still won't install the updated version directly from the Market, like our Epic 4G Touch. Still, assuming you can snag the update -- through official or unofficial means -- if you have the pixels to spare you should see upgraded video quality from now on.

YouTube Android app update brings HD video streaming to 'capable' 2.2+ devices originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Mar 2012 23:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Earlier this week, Google announced that the company would combine individual privacy policies from a variety of its products into one main policy. The idea behind it was to provide users with a “more intuitive Google experience.� Critics of the change are worried that Google is now collecting more data than ever, however, leading members of the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee to demand answers. Read on for more.

The search giant claims that it is not collecting more data and the new terms merely clarify how existing data is used to improve the Google experience. “We’re making things simpler and we’re trying to be upfront about it. Period,” said Google’s policy manager Betsy Masiello in a blog post. “You still have choice and control. You don’t need to log in to use many of our services, including Search, Maps and YouTube.”

Users will also have access to privacy controls, with the ability to customize options for search history, Gmail, and other services. “You can use as much or as little of Google as you want. For example, you can have a Google Account and choose to use Gmail, but not use Google+,” Masiello added. “Or you could keep your data separate with different accounts — for example, one for YouTube and another for Gmail.”

Over the past week, notorious hacker group Anonymous has launched numerous DDoS attacks that disrupted service to a number of popular websites. The global hacker collective recently took down websites belonging to the Department of Justice, Universal Music, the Record Industry Association of America and the Motion Picture Association of America to protest SOPA, PIPA and the takedown of Megaupload. According to a new video posted on Monday, Anonymous now aims to take down Facebook. It in unclear as to why Facebook is the group’s new target; while the video mentions SOPA as part of its reason for the attack, Facebook openly opposed the controversial bill. In the past, Anonymous has listed potential targets as the United Nations, Xbox Live, U.S. Bank, Twitter and YouTube.

[Via BusinessInsider]

Origin PC has been spitting out 5.2GHz Genesis desktops for a few months already, but apparently some people wanted more. Thanks to a new 'Phase Change' cooling system that'll be available from late Q1, they're about it get it: a Core i7 2700K system factory clocked to 5.7GHz. Cooling controls and temperature displays will help you to establish the proper balance of power and pollution, while lifetime technical support (which now applies to all Origin PCs in the US) is just a phone call away in case you need to share the rush. There's even an X79 mobo inside, offering scope for a Sandy Bridge E upgrade, plus NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 580 in four-way SLI. Origin has a little something for portable gamers too: a refreshed A-panel on the EON17-S and EON15-S laptops to help you strike the right note of grinning malice in front of your LAN victims. It's not yet clear how these updates will affect pricing, but there are plenty of clips on YouTube that'll show you how to smear thermal paste on your credit cards. Full PR after the break.

Continue reading Origin PC boosts Genesis factory clock to 5.7GHz, reveals new EON gaming laptop design

Origin PC boosts Genesis factory clock to 5.7GHz, reveals new EON gaming laptop design originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Jan 2012 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The US appeal court has ruled that "YouTube on steroids" site Veoh can't be sued for copyright infringement under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Judge Raymond Fisher said that rights holders (like UMG) were in a better place to identify infringing content than the video sharing site, putting the burden of finding and reporting dodgy vids on the record company's shoulders. The old-slugger's victory means that Viacom has less of a leg to stand on in its upcoming appeal against YouTube, since Judges can use the case as precedent to make their decisions. Sadly, victory will ring hollow for Veoh since the onslaught of litigation caused it to file for chapter seven bankruptcy before getting flogged on the cheap to Qlipso last year.

UMG v. Veoh: victory has never been so pyrrhic originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Dec 2011 13:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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