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Search giant Baidu is the latest Chinese tech firm to launch a mobile wallet service

Apr17
by on April 17, 2014 at 4:36 am
Posted In: Apps, Around the Web, Asia, mobile payments, Product Launches

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China’s mobile payments market is heating up, with nearly $1.6 trillion in transactions made in 2013. Now search giant Baidu has jumped into the fray to offer up a mobile wallet service as well, seeking to compete with the two other Internet giants, Alibaba and Tencent, for a slice of the pie. “We saw that developers/partners have needs in retaining users and payment services, which is why we launched Baidu Wallet,” Baidu’s Vice President Li Mingyuan, who is in charge of its Mobile and Cloud Business Group, says.  Baidu Wallet, which will be fully released in late April, provides similar services…

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Apple is reportedly partnering with Shazam to develop a song-identification feature for iOS 8

Apr17
by on April 17, 2014 at 2:14 am
Posted In: Around the Web, Music, music streaming, Product Updates

Apple is making it more convenient for iPhone and iPad users to identify songs without having to download separate apps, as it is partnering with Shazam to introduce a song-identification feature in iOS 8, according to a report from Bloomberg. One of the ways to access the feature could be through Siri, which means an iPhone user will be able to say something like “what song is playing” to find out more about the music, Bloomberg cites a source as saying. Apple already has its own music streaming service, iTunes Radio, and it makes sense for it to further develop…

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Super Mario Bros. theme played on 48 wine glasses makes you forget your princess is in another castle

Apr16
by on April 16, 2014 at 11:24 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Shareables, Super Mario Bros.

The Super Mario Bros. theme song is one of the most recognized songs ever created. Whether you played the original game when it launched in 1985, or just heard it in one of its various incarnations over the years, it’s a criminally catchy tune. This latest version is from Dan Newbie, a wine glass and pots and pans musician. He’s covered “Let It Go” from the movie Frozen and Pharrell’s “Happy.” Apparently if there’s an earworm, Newbie will play it.  With that in mind, it was only a matter of time before he covered the beloved song of a plumber trying…

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Sony passes 7 million PlayStation 4 units sold globally

Apr16
by on April 16, 2014 at 10:23 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Insider

BRITAIN-OFFBEAT-GADGETS
Sony announced on Wednesday that it has sold over 7 million PlayStation 4 consoles as of April 6th. That’s counting sell-through to consumers too, not just channel inventory. Meanwhile, PS4 game sales have passed 20.5 million across retail and digital outlets. In February, Sony passed the 5 million mark. Just last week, Sony revealed that inFamous Second Son, one of the most highly-anticipated games from the PS4 launch window, had sold 1 million copies in just over a week. Microsoft hasn’t shared any recent figures for Xbox One sales, though sales presumably got a bump with the release of first-person…

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Bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox loses bid to reorganize as Japanese court investigates CEO liability

Apr16
by on April 16, 2014 at 8:54 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Insider

A Japanese court has struck down Mt. Gox’s efforts to reorganize its Bitcoin exchange after filing for bankruptcy, USA Today reports. A court administrator will handle Mt. Gox’s assets, which are likely to be liquidated to pay back creditors. Mt. Gox went offline in late February just days before it filed for bankruptcy protection. The exchange at one time served as the largest for the Bitcoin community, but the company claims a bug in its system resulted in a loss of several hundred thousand Bitcoins, which equates to hundreds of millions of US dollars. As part of the court proceedings,…

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