Title: Spring Break Drunkeness a Dangerous Tradition
Category: Health News
Created: 3/10/2014 5:36:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 3/11/2014 12:00:00 AM
Google confirms deal with Green Throttle Games, a hint that a set-top box could be in the works
Mar12
PandoDaily first reported that Google has bought various assets of Green Throttle Games, a company which worked on bringing mobile games to the big screen, and now Google has confirmed the deal to us.
This move could signal Google’s commitment to conquering the living room with a set-top box that focuses on games — after all, The Information [paywalled link] previously reported that a new, Android-powered set-top box is now in development and could hit the market in the first half of 2014.
According to a Google spokesperson, a few members of Green Throttle — including co-founders Matt Crowley and Karl Townsend — have joined Google. Charles Huang, of Guitar Hero fame, will continue running Green Throttle, though there are no details as to what the company will be doing. Green Throttle’s website still has an announcement from last year that announced it was pulling its Arena app from Google Play and the Amazon Appstore for Android.
The terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, and Google declined to elaborate on what the Green Throttle’s team members will be working on. All this secrecy only adds on to expectations for something brewing at Google, and a set-top box seems likely.
➤ Google buys the ghost of Green Throttle Games, as TV arms race gathers speed [PandoDaily]
Thumbnail image via Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
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An online Magna Carta is needed to protect the World Wide Web’s independence, its inventor says
Mar12
The inventor of the World Wide Web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, believes an online ‘Magna Carta’ is needed to protect the independence of the Web and the rights of its users, The Guardian reports.
On the 25th anniversary of his first draft of the first proposal for what would become the World Wide Web, Berners-Lee warns that the neutrality of the medium is under threat from governments and corporations. He tells The Guardian: ”Unless we have an open, neutral Internet we can rely on without worrying about what’s happening at the back door, we can’t have open government, good democracy, good healthcare, connected communities and diversity of culture. It’s not naive to think we can have that, but it is naive to think we can just sit back and get it.”
Berners-Lee has been a critic of the spying tactics that American and British governments have been accused of, in the wake of revelations by whistleblower Edward Snowden.
His plan for an online Magna Carta would cover principles of privacy, free speech and responsible anonymity, and is being taken up as part of a project called “The Web We Want”, which campaigns for digital rights.
➤ An online Magna Carta: Berners-Lee calls for bill of rights for web [The Guardian]
Image via Danny Lawson/AFP/Getty Images
Alibaba goes all out to boost its entertainment offerings by taking a stake in ChinaVision Media
Mar12
It is clear that Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba wants to branch out further into digital entertainment — last year it acquired social music-streaming service Xiami and developed a smart TV operating system, while this year it stepped into mobile games.
Now Alibaba has agreed to pay $804 million for a majority stake in ChinaVision Media Group, a Hong Kong firm specializing in TV and film production. This could very possibly mean that Alibaba may soon be taking steps to produce content in collaboration with ChinaVision. After all, throughout last year, Chinese tech firms were already taking steps to make their mark within the online video space, seeking to capitalize on the opportunities as Chinese consumers effectively started taking their TVs to the subway.
An Alibaba spokesperson tell us: We are pleased to collaborate with the ChinaVision Media Group to explore future business opportunities as part of Alibaba’s digital entertainment strategy.”
The company’s strategy has been pretty clear — by beefing up its services to include TVs, music and games, it is hoping to provide a diverse range of offerings to capture the attention of users and keep them within its ecosystem, which could ultimately lead to more e-commerce opportunities.
In April, Alibaba’s Taobao Marketplace rolled out functionality for Xiami, apparently to help transform the retail site from merely a shopping platform to a lifestyle and media platform. Subsequently, the company also rolled out smart TVs, which would incorporate e-commerce and support games and other forms of entertainment. Early this year, it launched mobile games on its Taobao shopping app and Laiwang chat app.
Headline image via Peter Parker/AFP/Getty Images