"Monday, Monday, so good to me…" If The Mamas and the Papas don't get you fired up on this fine Monday, then perhaps we'll get your heart racing with the latest tech news coming over the data pipes. Elgato's got a new way to record video gameplay, Sony is launching an iOS app for Music Unlimited and Motorola may be facing layoffs after the Google acquisition -- read on for the rest of the Monday, May 21, 2012 news!
Elgato Introduces Game Capture HD
Elgato has been helping Mac users record video for years, but now the company is turning its attention to video games with the new Game Capture HD, which promises to "record your PlayStation or Xbox gameplay to a Mac or PC and share your journey with friends, fans and generations to come." While we've personally never understood the attraction of reliving gameplay, those who spend more time gaming than living in the real world are sure to appreciate Elgato's latest offering. Game Capture HD uses advanced hardware H.264 encoding to capture gameplay in stunning HD while keeping file sizes manageable, all as the same picture and sound is routed to your HDTV in pristine quality and without delay. Of course, recorded gameplay can be easily shared to YouTube, Facebook or Twitter as well. The company is mum on how much Game Capture HD will set you back when it becomes available, but for now, feel free to droll all over the dedicated website and specs.
Sony Music Unlimited for iOS Hits App Store
We're not quite sure the market can bear yet another streaming music subscription service arriving on iOS, but when it comes from a media giant like Sony, it's not likely to be dismissed so quickly. According to 9to5Mac, an official Music Unlimited app has turned up in the New Zealand App Store and is likely to start making the rounds worldwide over the next few hours. Currently offered in 14 different countries including the U.S. and Canada, Sony Music Unlimited offers a 30-day free trial of its premium service, with subscriptions starting at only $3.99 a month for access to basic channels as well as your own music library, with a $9.99 per month Premium account that extends to more than 15 million songs in its catalog. The iOS app isn't universal so there's no native iPad support, but otherwise Sony's offering seems fairly capable. Give the link a click a little later and see if it's ready to download from the U.S. App Store!
Layoffs Likely as Google's Motorola Acquisition Closes This Week
With the final regulatory hurdle now behind Google, the search giant is moving fast to close its $12.5 billion acquisition of Motorola Mobility this week. According to TechCrunch, the deal is expected to close in the next two business days, followed by a "listening tour" as Google examines the cell phone maker from top to bottom prior to making any decisions. For Motorola employees, those "decisions" could result in layoffs soon after the deal closes. The manufacturer currently has 19,000 employees, but has been actively working to reduce that number even before the acquisition, with the latest round seeing 800 workers cut back in October. The deal also includes a guarantee to the Chinese government that Android "would remain free and open source for the next five years," which should put some color back in the faces of smartphone manufacturers who have been waiting to exhale over the deal since it was announced.
Same as It Ever Was: ITC Still Sides with Apple, RIM in Kodak Patent Suit
Cnet is reporting that Eastman Kodak's patent complaint against Apple and BlackBerry maker Research in Motion has wrapped up yet again with the U.S. International Trade Commission, and unfortunately for the beleaguered photographic company, the complaint has been dismissed "for obviousness." In Apple's case, the infringing patent was only relevant for the discontinued iPhone 3G and covered how images were previewed on mobile devices. For their part, Kodak is pleasured to have confirmation "that Kodak's patent is infringed by Apple and RIM," even if the company is ultimately left empty-handed. Needless to say, Kodak plans to appeal the decision and remains confident things will go their way; the complaint dates back to January 14, 2010 and will have a final ruling with the ITC's complete six-member panel on by September 21.
OS X Mountain Lion Beta Offers Automatic App Download
If you've been digging the iOS automatic download feature which pushes new app purchases to all of your devices, get ready to experience the same thing with OS X Mountain Lion when it arrives this summer. According to 9to5Mac, Apple has quietly enabled an Automatic Download feature in the latest Developer Preview released last week. That means new apps purchased on one Mac can be automatically downloaded to any others you own, which should be a nice convenience feature for those of us with more than one Mac at home. Apparently the feature doesn't actually do anything when enabled at present, but with WWDC 2012 looming, developers will likely be receiving a gold master at the conference ahead of the official release.
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