Chinese 'pirate search engine' shuts

2 January 2013 Last updated at 08:43 ET

Gougou.com, one of China's most notorious pirate content search engines, has been shut down.

It follows the site being added to a US blacklist.

The site was run by Chinese web firm Xunlei, which had previously planned to float on one of the US stock exchanges.

The share sale was abandoned last year due to piracy concerns. Some experts think the closure could be part of fresh flotation attempt.

A few weeks ago the search engine was added to the US Trade Representative's report on major copyright offenders.

In its report the USTR commented: "This Chinese-based site facilitates the downloading and distribution of pirated music and movies, not only through deep-linking services, but also by offering cyberlocker facilities and through its own innovative high-speed P2P [peer-to-peer] file-sharing system".

Visitors to the site are now greeted with a bilingual note which reads in English: "Gougou.com has been closed down. Thank you all for your support, and we are sorry for any inconvenience.

The Tech in Asia blog had described the service as "China's most notorious search engine".

It noted that sites using similar names were still in operation.

It marks the latest Chinese business to address intellectual property concerns after appearing on the US blacklist.

E-commerce marketplace Taobao has worked with rights holders to ban some counterfeit goods from sale and has promised to further simplify its complaint procedures.

The US said the Sogou search engine had also been dropped from this year's list after making "notable efforts to work with rights holders" to tackle the appearance of pirated files in its results.

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Sony stops making PlayStation 2

31 December 2012 Last updated at 07:11 ET

Sony has ended Japanese production of its best-selling PlayStation 2 (PS2).

The hardware first went on sale in March 2000 in Japan and since then more than 150 million PS2 consoles have been sold.

The PS2 was so popular that it outsold its replacement for the first three years that the PlayStation 3 was available.

By ending production, Sony has fuelled rumours it is putting manufacturing resources towards the PlayStation 4.

Empty shelves

Although Sony is ending production in Japan this does not mean no more games will be produced for the PS2.

For instance, another instalment of the Final Fantasy series, called Seekers of Adoulin, is due to be released in March 2013. In total, about 11,000 games are believed to have been made for the gadget over its 12-year lifespan.

Japanese gaming and entertainment site Famitsu reported that Sony has told the nation's retailers that it will not provide any more PS2s for sales in shops. Once existing stock is sold no more will be forthcoming.

Sony has yet to say whether it will stop production for other territories as well.

The PS2 is credited with being the best-selling game console of all time and its wide use is also thought to have aided the popularity of DVDs as a drive for the disks was built in to the machine.

Despite rumours that Sony will make announcements about the PS4 in mid-2013, the firm has not given any official details of the specifications of the hardware nor when it might be released.

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Digital sales break £1bn barrier

2 January 2013 Last updated at 06:20 ET

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There has been a sharp growth in film and music downloads

More than £1bn was spent on downloaded films, music and games in 2012, the highest annual total.

Sales increased 11.4% from 2011, meaning that a quarter of the entertainment market is now digital.

But figures released later by entertainment retailers will also show a big drop in physical sales - more bad news for high street shops.

Sales of CDs, DVDs, Blu-ray and video games fell by 17.6% in 2011 although they still make up most of the market.

Kim Bayley, director general of the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA), which will release the figures, said that breaking the £1bn barrier was an "incredible achievement" for retailers.

"This reflects their huge investment in new and innovative services - which means you can buy music, video and games literally at any time of the day and wherever you are.

"At the same time I suspect that many people will be surprised to learn just how resilient the physical business still is - with three-quarters of entertainment sales still on disc.

"Downloads offer convenience and portability, but people still seem to value the quality and tangibility of a physical product."

Geoff Taylor from UK music industry body the British Phonographic Industry credited the Jubilee and London 2012 Olympic Games for showcasing British music around the world and driving up sales.

"But market conditions at home remained difficult and pressure on the 'leisure wallet' impacted music sales on the high street," he added.

Continue reading the main story

Dave Lee Technology reporter

---

On the surface, it's been another buoyant year for the entertainment industry.

Such healthy figures could lead some to wonder if the threat of piracy - which saw the industry locked in legal to-ing and fro-ing with internet providers throughout 2012 - is perhaps overstated.

But in truth, the entertainment industry still has a huge battle on its hands. By far the biggest slice of its income is via physical sales - and these continue to decline.

In its quest for new revenue models, the music industry's move to offering its artists' material on streaming services - such as Spotify - has been a popular one, with 3.7 billion streams by British fans in 2012.

But revenue from these services is miniscule when compared to actual sales, leaving the entertainment industry looking over its shoulder - more so in 2013 than ever before.

"The quality of our music and digital innovation by UK labels means we have excellent potential for domestic growth and to increase our share of the global music market.

"We hope government will recognise the potential of digital music to contribute to economic recovery and provide more active support in 2013."

More than half of the digital sales went on video games, which grew 8% to £552m.

Films and music had a smaller share of the digital market but sharper growth - downloaded films up by 20% and music by 15%.

BBC technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones said: "The entertainment industry has been struggling to adapt to the digital age.

"And while consumers are now paying for downloads, that's not making up for the rapid fall in high street sales."

Sales of video games in shops were particularly badly hit, with retailers blaming a lack of compelling new titles, he added.

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Paris Apple store hit by heist

2 January 2013 Last updated at 06:32 ET

Armed robbers broke into a central Paris Apple store on New Year's Eve, stealing goods with an estimated value of one million euros (£813,000).

The police said that four masked men forced their way into the shop.

It comes as New York mayor Michael Bloomberg claims that the theft of Apple goods has contributed to rising street crime figures in the city.

The Metropolitan Police told the BBC the trend towards stealing gadgets was "significant".

Thieves broke into the Apple store behind the Paris Opera at around 21:00 (20:00 GMT) on Monday, three hours after the shop closed.

The police did not confirm the value of the goods stolen by the robbers, who escaped afterwards in a van.

A spokesman for the police union Unsa told reporters: "As the majority of police were busy watching the Champs Elysees [for New Year's Eve celebrations], the robbers took advantage of this opportunity."

Street crime

The theft comes as the desirability of Apple goods among street criminals is being blamed for a rise in crime figures in New York.

According to the New York Police Department, some 3,890 Apple products were stolen in 2012, pushing crime figures up and prompting Mayor Bloomberg to say that thieves in the city were showing a preference for Apple goods.

His press secretary later said that if the jump in stolen Apple products was removed, crime figures would have been down for the year.

According to London's Metropolitan Police, street criminals in London are increasingly targeting easy-to-steal gadgets, although they do not provide a breakdown of the brands most favoured by thieves.

"In general the more you paid for a gadget the more interest it will be to street robbers," said a spokesman.

"We are constantly reminding people to register their goods," he added.

What police have seen, he said, is a change in the profile of victims as thieves become less likely to steal cash and more likely to steal phones which are "highly sellable on the second-hand market".

"Victims now are far less likely to be a bashed-up pensioner and more likely to be a young professional who has had a phone grabbed out of their hand or pocket," he said.

One of the most high-profile Apple store break-ins in the capital was a smash and grab at Apple's flagship Covent Garden store in October 2011. A gang of motorbike thieves broke into the shop, stealing up to £75,000 worth of goods.

Two men were later convicted of robbery.

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Ground-breaking OLED TV on sale

2 January 2013 Last updated at 09:25 ET

LG has launched a 55in (140cm) OLED TV - kickstarting a battle over the next-generation of high-quality screens.

OLED - which means organic light-emitting diode - is more energy efficient than LCD (liquid crystal display) and plasma-based alternatives.

LG's model will be sold in South Korea first with other markets, including Europe, to follow thereafter.

Both LG and Samsung announced 55in OLEDs last year, but LG is the first to make its available.

The firms showcased their televisions at last January's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, but until now neither company had managed to get a product to market.

LG's headstart on its rival helped give it a 5.4% share price boost on Wednesday.

The 1080p (1920 x 1080 pixels) OLED television will sell for 11 million won ($10,300; £6,300). Analysts said the technology was unlikely to become more affordable until at least 2015 - but that this latest release was more about cementing LG's position as a market leader.

That said, global sales of OLED televisions are expected to grow to 1.7 million by 2014, according to research firm DisplaySearch.

Bendy

OLED screens have been touted as the successor to the popular liquid crystal displays (LCD).

The technology allows for the display of darker and deeper blacks, and can be made thinner than competing display methods.

Smaller OLED screens are already in mass distribution. Samsung uses the technology in its smartphones, and Sony's PlayStation Vita handheld console also utilises the thin, light technology.

Many predict that OLED screens will allow for the development of a new generation of "bendy" gadgets, some of which are expected to be unveiled over the course of the year.

But larger OLED screens have proven difficult to manufacture due mainly to cost and reliability constraints.

Another technology, known as 4K, has also been given a lot of attention from manufacturers.

Dubbed "Ultra HD", 4K offers 8 million pixels per frame - four times the resolution of 1080p high-definition displays - making it particularly well suited for extra large screens. 110in (279cm) models are expected to be put on show at CES next week.

Existing 4K TV sets are LCD-based. But according to some purists, OLED offers a richer quality display so might be the better option for 55in screens.

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Ubuntu system comes to smartphones

2 January 2013 Last updated at 13:17 ET By Leo Kelion Technology reporter

The Ubuntu operating system has been adapted to run on smartphones.

The Linux-based software will allow users to run desktop apps on their handsets, allowing them to double for PCs when docked to monitors.

The code will initially be released as a file which can be installed on Samsung's Galaxy Nexus phone, replacing Android.

Some analysts question whether consumers really want the power of a fully fledged computer on their phone.

Even so, Ubuntu's founder, Mark Shuttleworth, said he was in talks with manufacturers for devices to be sold with the system pre-installed within the year.

While he acknowledged the innovation would likely be limited to "enthusiasts and hobbyists" at first, he said it signalled a wider shift on the horizon.

"It's quite incredible that we're at this point when the power of the phone is crossing over that with baseline processing power of basic laptops," Mr Shuttleworth told the BBC.

"We're taking advantage of that so for the first time in history you have the full consumer PC platform available on a phone.

"I'm very confident if we look ahead over the next three to five years that's a transition that Apple is going to have to make... and if it's not Windows 9 it will be Windows 10 that will see Microsoft bring its phone and laptop together into one device. It's really cracking to do that ahead of everyone else."

Phones running the software will be showcased at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas next week.

Powerful apps

Ubuntu is the most popular operating system to be based on the Linux kernel - the code that lets software and hardware work together.

The London-based firm behind it, Canonical, offers it for download free of charge and has been helped by thousands of volunteers who contribute to the open source project.

The firm makes money back by offering support and training and also plans to take a share of sales from online marketplaces offered by handset makers who adopt its software.

It estimates that more than 20 million PCs already use it.

In many cases these are older machines which benefit from the fact it is less demanding on computer power than Windows - and is virus-free.

The new version has been designed to work on last and current-generation Android handsets which share the Linux kernel. This means Ubuntu can re-use existing software drivers to control the hardware.

There are already 45,000 native apps for the system - albeit with several notable omissions such as Adobe's Photoshop and the Office suite, although alternatives do exist.

Developers will be urged to adapt their apps' interfaces to look different when running on a phone's screen while offering the same core functionality.

To offer touch-based controls Ubuntu has adopted the same QML (Qt modelling language) framework being utilised by the upcoming Blackberry 10 operating system.

Mr Shuttleworth suggested this meant many app makers would be familiar with the technology.

In addition Ubuntu can run web apps written in the widely-adopted HTML5 language.

Advanced voice control

When running on phones Ubuntu can be controlled by the "head-up display" (Hud) option it introduced last year.

This allows users to type or say what command they want a program to carry out rather than having to click through menus.

"The Hud was born out of the phone design process," revealed Mr Shuttleworth.

"The key question we were asking is how do we allow developers to express some of the deeper richer functionality that you get typically in a desktop application when they write for a phone.

"Typically phone and tablet applications are streamlined slimmed-down versions of stuff that might have existed in a more sophisticated complicated form on the PC.

"And in our world where all of the functionality is there... you can invoke the Hud on the phone and talk to it with voice recognition instead of typing in your command - so you could say [for instance] you want a photo in a 1930s style - and our R&D effort is to make that natural."

Unconvinced about convergence

A version of the code will shortly be made available to developers to start adapting their apps.

The firm then plans to release a file for Galaxy Nexus phones by February, and later for other handsets and ultimately tablet computers as well.

One analyst suggested the news would raise awareness of the Ubuntu system, but was sceptical about its chances of success.

"It's an impressive move by Ubuntu but ultimately I don't think it's a smart move," said Chris Green, principal technology analyst at Davies Murphy Group Europe.

"They are not the first company to try and drop a desktop operating system on a mobile device and nobody has ever been able to make it work. Microsoft tried to foist something that looked and felt like normal Windows on a mobile phone and they had to screw it up and develop a separate phone system.

"If you look at the platforms that thrive at the moment it's the ones that have diverged and had a platform designed for mobile on their mobile devices and a platform designed for conventional PCs on those."

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TV pioneer inspires media academy

3 January 2013 Last updated at 04:01 ET

A £2m fundraising campaign has been launched to establish a digital media academy in the hometown of television pioneer John Logie Baird.

Backers of the Heroes Centre in Helensburgh believe it will help a new generation of Scots learn new media and production skills.

They plan to base the academy in a converted Victorian warehouse in the town's George Street.

The building will also house a cinema, diner and a Helensburgh "wall of fame".

The three storey wall of fame showcasing memorabilia from inspirational men and women who have come from the town.

Helensburgh Heroes - the charity behind the proposals - said the academy would operate throughout the year, providing a fully-functioning digital education facility, which would nurture content creators of all ages and equip them with the new media skills required for online broadcast and video.

'Dramatic decline'

Initial planning permission has been granted and the project team has now been tasked with raising the £2m needed to deliver the centre.

The Heroes Centre is the brainchild of Phil Worms, an IT industry veteran of 25 years and a director of Helensburgh Heroes.

He said Scotland needed to encourage more people to learn skills that are relevant to working in an online world.

Mr Worms added: "As the convergence of internet and TV technologies gathers pace it is widely recognised that we need a new generation of digital content creators, and yet a major issue facing Scotland is the dramatic decline in the numbers of young people taking IT related subjects in further education.

"We are absolutely delighted to have such high profile ambassadors on board and with the Scottish government also keen to see this happen, what we need now is for Scottish businesses to get behind the idea by pledging their financial support so we can raise the two million pounds we need to turn the Heroes Centre into a reality."

The plans have been backed by Helensburgh-born film director Tom Vaughan and actor Lex Shrapnel, who starred in the recent BBC television series Hunted and whose grandmother - the Hollywood actress Deborah Kerr - came from the town.

The project has also been welcomed by the Scottish government, with Minister for External Affairs and International Development Humza Yousaf saying it would give "the next generation of Scots a creative environment to acquire new media skills and expertise."

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Google boss to visit North Korea

3 January 2013 Last updated at 06:12 ET

The chairman of Google, Eric Schmidt, is planning a visit to North Korea, South Korean officials say.

The reason for the trip has not yet been revealed, but news agencies say it is part of a humanitarian mission led by US politician Bill Richardson.

The former New Mexico governor has been involved in ad-hoc negotiations with the North Koreans in the last 20 years.

Internet use is highly restricted there although leader Kim Jong-un has called for a push in technology and science.

The South Korean government told news agency AFP that it is aware of the planned visit, adding that the trip is personal.

Google has refused to comment so far.

Easing tensions

Former governor Richardson has spoken for the release of US nationals detained in North Korea on various occasions.

Last month, North Korea arrested a US citizen of Korean origin, Pae Jun Ho, for unspecified alleged crimes.

Mr Richardson has also held talks with North Korea over its military activities.

In December 2010, he met North Korea's chief nuclear negotiator in Pyongyang, in an attempt to ease tensions between the two Koreas.

But some analysts speculated that for Google's Eric Schmidt the trip could have more strategic reasons.

"I think this is part of Google's broader vision to bring the Internet to the world, and North Korea is the last frontier," said Peter Beck, of South Korean's non-profit Asia Foundation, to Reuters.

South Korea's confirmation of Mr Schmidt's trip came days after the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, delivered a new year's message on state TV, the first such broadcast for 19 years.

Kim Jong-un, in power since 2011, spoke of the need to improve the economy and also to reunify the Koreas, warning that confrontation only led to war.

Kim Jong-un said 2013 would be a year of creations and changes, calling for a "radical turnabout" that would transform the impoverished, isolated state into an "economic giant" and raise living standards.

But while he said confrontation between the North and the South should be removed, Mr Kim stressed that military power remained a national priority.

Under Mr Kim's leadership, North Korea has conducted two long-range rocket launches - actions condemned by the US and Pyongyang's neighbours as banned tests of missile technology.

The launch in April failed, but December's attempt appears to have been a success, placing a satellite into orbit.

The US, Japan and South Korea are seeking a response in the UN Security Council, which banned North Korea from missile tests after nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009.

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Elite reboot hits funding target

3 January 2013 Last updated at 06:41 ET

An ambitious plan to update classic space trading game Elite has hit its funding target.

The game first appeared on the BBC Micro in 1984 but one of the game's original creators wanted to make a modern PC version.

David Braben sought £1.25m via crowd-sourcing site Kickstarter to fund the 21st century update.

A last minute surge of pledges helped it reach its goal less than 48 hours before Friday's funding deadline.

Funding squeeze

Elite: Dangerous debuted on Kickstarter on 5 November and set itself 60 days to raise £1.25m. In November, Mr Braben said Elite was a game he had wanted to come back to for a "long, long time".

Although some early work on the multiplayer title had been done at Mr Braben's game studio Frontier Developments, but needed the cash to turn the code into a finished playable product. If the game did not hit its funding target then development work would stop.

Getting the cash via Kickstarter was preferable to using an established publisher because it gave Frontier and those who backed it total control over how the final game would turn out, said Mr Braben,

The finished game, he said, would keep the central trading, travel and spaceship combat elements of the original but add far better graphics, physics and feature a much larger chunk of the universe for people to play in.

Fund tracking site Kicktraq showed that after an initial surge the number of people backing the project tailed off dramatically. On its second day on Kickstarter raised more than £271,000. However, soon after pledge totals rarely got over £10,000.

A surge of pledges came forward in the closing few days of Elite's fund-raising drive thanks to an appearance on social news site Reddit by Mr Braben and with the help of comedian Dara O Briain who urged his 1.2 million Twitter followers to back it.

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David Braben talks to Rory Cellan-Jones about 'kickstarting' Elite last November

"It is really great to have exceeded the goal already," Mr Braben told the BBC. "I was delighted and touched by how many people really want this game to be made, and it was doubly good that it happened on my birthday!"

He said the Elite team were now pushing to reach "stretch" goals which would produce a Mac version of the game and add more ships to the game.

"It was an ambitious target but that is so that it was set at a realistic level to be able to make the game," he said adding that watching the total pledges get close to the target made for a "tense time".

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Island community pleads for internet

3 January 2013 Last updated at 08:40 ET By Dave Lee Technology reporter, BBC News

Residents on the remote South Atlantic territory of St Helena have renewed their plea for the UK to back plans to bring broadband to the island.

The British colony needs around £10m to connect to a new submarine cable.

The island's 4,200 residents currently rely on a slow satellite connection, which campaigners say is stunting the island's growth.

The Foreign Office has said a "full economic assessment" was needed before any new link could be funded.

The UK, like several other countries, refused to sign a proposed UN treaty regarding wide-ranging changes to internet governance at a conference in Dubai last month.

It meant a clause requiring states to aid in connecting remote communities will not now be enforced, removing any obligation or commitment for the government to work with communities such as St Helena.

"The UK did not sign the revised International Telecommunication Regulations last week in Dubai, and has no intention of doing so in the future," the Foreign Office said in an email.

"We will therefore not be bound by the provisions contained in the Treaty when it comes into force on 1 January 2015."

'Revolutionise'

Campaign group A Human Right, which is supported by the UN, has called on the Department for International Development to contribute a substantial amount to the engineering costs of connecting the island to the South Atlantic Express, a new superfast fibre optic cable being laid by South African firm eFive.

Dr Rosalind Thomas, eFive's chief executive, agreed last year to alter the cable's path to bring it closer to the island, opening up the prospect of connecting it.

An investment of around £10m, campaigners said, would be enough to latch on to the cable and "revolutionise" the island - with private backers contributing further costs.

Due to the island's location, it is well-placed to support infrastructure relating to satellite operations, including base stations and communication hubs.

The government is already spending £250m on the island to build a new airport in a bid to encourage high-spend tourism to the island which is one of the most remote on earth.

"The plan [for the airport] is to establish high-spending tourism on the island which will be quite a challenge," said Christian von der Ropp, organiser of the campaign.

"If you spend an additional £10m or a bit less getting this cable landed, there would be a huge opportunity for social and economic development.

"This is something that would revolutionise the island, and people's perspectives there. And I believe it would relieve British taxpayers."

Currently, the UK government spends £20m a year on supporting the island.

'Economic and social benefits'

In an email to A Human Right, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said telecommunications on the island was the responsibility of the St Helena Government.

"We are aware of eFive Telecom's plans to lay a fibre-optic cable connecting South Africa and Brazil and the St Helena Government's initial discussions with them about the feasibility and costs of a spur link to St Helena," the Foreign Office said.

Continue reading the main story

• St Helena has a population of 4,000
• Residents are known as Saints
• It measures 47 sq miles and lies 1,200 miles from the African mainland
• An estimated 7,000 St Helenan families are living in the south of England

Source: St Helena Development Association (SHDA)

"If the developers proceed with the project then a full economic assessment would be needed to consider the extent of the economic and social benefits that such a link could bring to St Helena."

Campaigners hope that with better internet access local residents, particularly young people, will be less inclined to leave the island for study and work purposes.

Mike Olffon, owner of the island's radio station Saint FM, told the BBC that getting access was prohibitively expensive.

"Internet here at the moment is tremendously expensive because it's satellite - it's well over £100 a month. We have no choice.

"It is important for the development of the island, if we want to have IT services and internet-related business.

"The population would very much look forward to the government's help to pay the money."

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