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The Week in Tech

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Nintendo

Whilst last week saw the launch of the New Nintendo 3DS in Europe, many North Americans have been complaining that the device has yet to be released across the pond, with only the New 3DS XL hitting western Atlantic shores. Nintendo's senior manager of licensing and marketing, Damon Baker, has explained that the reason the US didn't, and won't be getting the standard version of the new console is essentially because they fear the choice might confuse consumers.

North Americans have been complaining that the standard model of the New Nintendo 3DS has yet to be released in their neck of the woods

He said, referring to the swappable faceplates only available on the standard version, that “The face plates are super cool,” but the US is a different market. Now, he said they have “Clear differentiation between those three systems,” but before, “There was a very limited difference between the 3DS and 3DS XL other than size. Now, he says “There's the 2DS, 3DS, and New 3DS XL, all of which have their own functionality and features.” He feels that “The different price points give it a clear message for consumers,” and that, when Nintendo were thinking about expanding the user base, they “Had to be able to market it and make it easy to pick up for consumers.”

 

Windows

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There has been a small amount of controversy surrounding a batch of new Lenovo laptops, which were shipped with invasive software intentionally preinstalled on devices by the company itself. The Superfish adware has been a bit of a sucker punch for Lenovo, who probably didn't realise how tech savvy their consumers were, and that they would cotton on to this intrusion. Windows is on the case though, and has created a new update for its Windows Defender program that destroys not only the software, but the self-signed Superfish certificate that puts your encrypted internet data at risk.

The Superfish adware has been a bit of a sucker punch for Lenovo

 

Round.me

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Round.me, the app that allows users to explore exotic global locations through high-definition panoramic photos, recently raised $3 million in a round of fund-raising led by April Capital. The app is available on both the web and iOS (no word on an Android version yet), and allows users to browse different “Spaces,” which are basically panoramic images of locations like a Taoist temple in the Philippines and an ice cave in Vermont. The iOS experience is very immersive, with the Spaces responding to the movement of your phone, creating the illusion that you’re viewing the real location through your phone or tablet. Photographers can include more information inside a Space through embedded “Hotspots,” and link images together through a bespoke “Portal.”

Round.me recently raised $3 million in a round of fund-raising led by April Capital

The company hopes to use this injection of money to, according to CEO Konstantin Andreev, “Create the best virtual tour experience in the panoramic photography marketplace.” He said the idea behind the software “Was to develop a simple to use app whereby real estate and photography professionals could present their portfolios directly to any consumer in a seamless experience that included hosting, sharing, search capabilities, location awareness and social reach.” The app first launched last year, and so far more than 3,000 professionals and semi-professionals have signed up to the service.

 

Apple

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Apple is reportedly readying a public beta program for iOS 8.3 and iOS 9 in March and this summer respectively. The move would fall in line with the Mac OS X public beta program, which debuted last year and have certain users access to the Yosemite operating system before its official launch. Apple's operating system has drawn a fair amount of criticism from some quarters for some recent buggy releases, a larger beta test pool could definitely help address those issues. According to reports, the iOS beta program will be launched to a limited group of only 100,000 non-developer testers; a far smaller segment than is allowed into the OS X beta program. The stakes are higher here though, which could account for the more controlled test group.

 

YouTube

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YouTube has announced a new, child-friendly version of its app for mobile devices, which is expected to launch today (February 23). It will initially only be available on Android devices in the US, but is expected to expand its reach in coming months. The YouTube kids app will provide only content suitable for younger viewers, as well as a number of parental control features like a time limiter that lets parents choose how much time their kids are allowed to use the app. It will also host a variety of bespoke videos from such partners as Jim Henson TV, DreamWorks, and National Geographic.

YouTube has announced a new, child-friendly version of its app for mobile devices

In addition to providing access to child-friendly content, the app will also offer curated options to help make finding specific videos more simple for kids who might not be as tech savvy as their parents. Dedicated channels and playlists that span TV shows, learning experiences, exploration and music will also be available. The move is telling of the Google-owned company’s ambitions to expand its horizons after the recent launch of its Music Key service. An ad-free version is reportedly also on its way.

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