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DNP 12K gaming brings frame rates and resolution to OMFGlevels

Think your gaming rig's impressive because it can run Metro: Last Light with maxed out settings at 60FPS? Well, Microsoft rounded up a trio of Sharp PN-K321 32-inch 4K monitors and wired them to a Windows 8 PC stuffed with three ASUS 7970 GPUs. The $17,000 experiment proved two things: Such tech is outside our price-range and it takes a huge amount of support to get it working. For instance, before AMD wrote custom drivers to make Eyefinity and multi-stream transport play nicely together, the framerate was a meager 8FPS. It's worth noting that even after all that, demos only lasted a few minutes before the computer's power supply would conk out -- but maybe the kinks will be fixed in time for us to play Battlefield Bad Company 5 on it.

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Los Angeles School District iPad scheme update confirms all 640,000 students will benefit

Last month we reported that Apple was to provide iPads to the Los Angeles school district. At the time, the numbers looked like only a slice of the region's 640,000 students would receive the hardware (just 31,000 of them initially). New information indicates that this is actually just the first wave, and in fact every one of the region's kids will benefit from the scheme -- as confirmed by Mark Hovatter, chief facilities executive for LAUSD. This is of course great news for those in the area, but not all that bad for Apple's bottom line, either, we're guessing.

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 Mobile

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Hidden permissions manager found in Android 43, lets you set the rules

Installing an Android app brings up a permissions prompt that most folks ignore (though they probably shouldn't). But, what if you could grant applications access to some parts of your smartphone and not others? That's something Android Police have discovered is already baked into Android 4.3, and it's called "Apps Ops." The feature is hidden by default, but can easily be enabled via a third-party app in the Play Store, which brings it to life and allows you to fine tune other apps' permissions to read your contacts, access your location via GPS, or even read your call log. This is a buried feature and we have no idea if and when it'll be officially activated, but it looks like Google's pledge for better privacy could mean more than just an incognito mode.

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Source new Nexus 7 to arrive today at Best Buy

A tipster has told us that the latest Nexus 7 from Asus and Google will hit Best Buy stores today, and a pre-order we placed earlier for the device seems to confirm that. We put our money down for one when the order page first went up, and while the confirmation originally said it would arrive on the original July 30th launch date, it's now telling us that we can expect our tablet later today. That jibes with info we were given by a source claiming to be the manager of a Best Buy store. He said that while pre-orders started yesterday, "there were few (of them) in my region," meaning that "if you are present at a (Best Buy) location today at opening, you have a good chance of buying the tablet." He added that some stores don't have stock yet due to agreements with Google, but pre-orders are still possible at those locations. Until we receive confirmation, however, you may not want to make a long journey to one of the outlets. Meanwhile, we've reached out to both Google and Best Buy.

Update: Best Buy has touched base, telling us "we can confirm that the Nexus is available at all Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile stores and BestBuy.com now."

[Thanks, Anonymous]

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NTIA drafts app code of conduct, aims to give users more data collection transparency

The White House's main telecom adviser, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), has issued a first draft of a mobile apps code of contact, with the goal of giving consumers more control of their privacy. It was created over several years in cooperation with privacy advocates, app developers and gatekeepers like Apple, Google and Blackberry. If adopted, publishers will be required to provide "short form notices" telling consumers whether or not their data is being collected and how it's being used. Such data would include biometrics, browser history, phone or SMS logs, contact info, financial data, health, medical or therapy info, user files and location data.

The document was backed by the American Civil Liberties Union, though it wasn't crazy about the amount of time the process took, saying that "comprehensive privacy legislation" was also needed. It's worth noting that major app store operators already agreed recently to put new privacy policy standards in place that conform with California's Online Privacy Protection Act. There's also the irony of the US government pushing for more consumer privacy, while perhaps being the largest abuser via PRISM. Dig into the source for the full read.

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 Mobile

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Motorolas Bluetooth Buds journey to the center of the FCC

Remember Motorola's S10-HD Bluetooth headphones? Don't worry if you didn't, since you're probably going to get another chance to enjoy them in the next few weeks. The Google-owned phone manufacturer has sent a remarkably similar set of Bluetooth headphones through the FCC that are packing that same wraparound design. Now that the gear has been passed fit for human consumption, we figure we'll see them making their way to retail soon -- maybe as part of some big event, perhaps?

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 HD

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Channel 4 brings offline viewing to 4oD for Android and iOS

The UK's Channel 4 is no stranger to on-demand programming, and now it's bringing the convenience of offline viewing to the mobile version of 4oD. In the latest update for Android and iOS, registered users can download shows that aired during the past 30 days, all for free. From there, users have seven days to view the content before it expires. There's a subtle catch, as all programming must be downloaded over WiFi, from within the UK or the Republic of Ireland. Once downloaded, however, shows can be watched offline from anywhere. Offline viewing is currently restricted to the network's commissioned shows, but it's looking to add programming from other studios in the future. Consider this Channel 4's way of keeping up with the Joneses... or in this case, the BBC.

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 Mobile

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Android 4.3 source reveals support for 4K resolution

We've seen Android run on anything from low-resolution smartwatches to high-PPI phones and tablets, including the new 1920 x 1200-pixel Nexus 7 Google launched earlier this week. To make this possible, the mobile OS supports a number of pixel densities for app content -- from 120PPI (LDPI / Low DPI) to 480PPI (XXHDPI / Extra Extra High DPI). Close examination of the Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean) source code reveals the addition of a 640PPI (XXXHDPI / Extra Extra Extra High DPI) pixel density, which -- according to the comments in the code -- is intended for 4K televisions. Does this mean we'll begin to see Android devices with 640PPI Ultra HD displays? Perhaps, but considering 480PPI is overkill on handsets, this is most likely designed to make image assets and fonts, such as the Google TV UI, readable on 4K screens when viewed from a distance.

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Amazon reports surprise loss in in Q2 2013, despite a 22 percent rise in sales

The retail game is all about scraping a living out of tiny margins, and nowhere is that more evident than in Amazon's latest financial report. The company managed to grow revenue by 22 percent year-over-year between April and June, to $15.7 billion, and yet it confounded analysts' predictions by making a loss of $7 million, versus a $7 million profit in the same quarter last year. Then again, this knock has been attributed to the fact that Amazon is pushing to expand beyond the retail game, by investing heavily in its Kindle business, digital downloads and streaming products, as well as in building a bigger presence in China. This has been the strategy for a while, of course, and it's not the first time the company has been pushed into the red as a result. But Jeff Bezos says that Amazon's top ten bestselling products last quarter were all either Kindles, accessories for Kindles, or digital content for Kindles, which suggests the transformation is steadily having an impact, even if it's proving expensive.

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Sky Now TV box is a 999 Roku clone that streams iPlayer and more

BSkyB started investing in Roku last year and it's leveraged that involvement to develop this new Now TV set-top box. Going on sale today for just £9.99 (including shipping), it brings a rebranded Roku 2 XS with software built for Sky's IPTV platform and a curated list of additional channels. Notably missing from the list are Netflix, Lovefilm, ITV Player, and 4oD, however Now TV (of course), iPlayer, Demand Five, Spotify, Facebook and several Sky channels are included. It gives up a bit in flexibility compared to the standard player, but the ultra-low entry price certainly makes for a compelling option. Roku is facing more competition than ever with new game consoles, Google's Chromecast and even Apple's TV ambitions, we'll see if partnering with traditional providers makes it the "operating system for TVs" CEO Anthony Wood wants it to be.

For Sky, this is just part of a multi-pronged plan to move its TV offerings into the future, detailed in today's earnings report. Starting in September it will offer a WiFi equipped Sky+HD box to customers as the standard, and low cost wireless adapters to those with older hardware that isn't already connected. It's also enhancing Sky Go, with plans to add 10 new channels in the next year while marketing Sky Go Extra more. Finally, it's adding more content to the Catch Up TV and Sky Store VOD bundle -- check the PDF linked below for more details.

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