In this episode of Just the Tech: Touching base with the NASA UARS Satellite, streaming gaming coming to the UK from onLive, .london and the gTLD, Windows 8 troubles, and is an Amazon Kindle Tablet going to be announced this week?

This episode of Just the Tech lasts around 12 mins.

Please send feedback, and suggestions for inclusion in future episodes, to justthetech@jasonslater.co.uk

SHOW NOTES

NASA UARS Satellite

NASA are reporting that they believe the UARS Satellite fell back to Earth possibly somewhere over the Pacific Ocean although they are not exactly sure.

PATENT WARS

Chipset makers VIA are reporting that they are suing Apple for patent infringement. The three patents involved refer microprocessor functionality. HTC, as reported on their site, are also suing Apple for patent infringement including Wi-Fi functionality and processor communication technology that as HTC say “enables a seamless integration of a PDA and a cellular phone into a single device providing users with a true smartphone experience.”

onLIVE

OnLive is coming to the UK – and as they say it is “the all new way to play the hottest games anywhere”. HD TV, PC, or MAC, and even mobile phones like iPad and Android based tablets. ” Onlive is a streaming service, in a very loosely similar way to BBC iPlayer however it also allows for an interactive experience.

To use onLive on a HD HTC you will need the onLive game system which includes the onLive micro-console, a wireless controller, and the various required cables. For mobile devices and PC/MAC you will need to download an app onto your device in order to access the service.

Games can be rented on a game by game basis or you can subscribe to the service on a monthly basis. The Huffington Post reports that there are around 150 games currently available in the US including Assassin’s Creed and Deus Ex and the also say that the UK launch will include Batman Arkham City.

TWITTER

Twitter has recently announced the implementation of a new API from BlueVia – allowing for the uploading of photos from smart phones. O2 have also announced they are working with Twitter in the UK to allow O2 customers to upload and share photos simply by sending an MMS message to the Twitter shortcode which is 86444. You can already update Twitter using SMS message but and this new functionality extends that method by adding photos.

Twitter say on their blog that the feature is currently available with Vodafone, O2, and Orange in the UK whilst in the US the carriers are AT&T, Verizon Wireless and Cellular South.

GTLD

The Telegraph are reporting that London is to apply for its own top level domain .london to represent the city. It could take as long as two years as consultations need to be carried out.

ICANN started talking about generic top level domains back in 2007. ICANN, or the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, is a non-profit company that manages the internet address space. Historically, there have been only a few top-level domains including .com, .net, .org as the process wa highly restricted but in 2011 a vote was carried by ICANN’s board to end the restrictions allowing many more than the 22 currently available.

MICROSOFT

ZD Net are reporting about a story by a Linux developer who raised the questions about dual-booting Windows 8 and a Linux based operating system.

Windows 8 uses a new secure boot protocol called UEFI, Unified Extensible Firmware Interface, which replaces the current BIOS routines and is designed to prevent malicious code such as bootkits getting on and running on your machine.

The suggestion is that somehow Microsoft could take advantage of the nature of UEFI and somehow lock out other operating systems from starting up.

LINKS

• VIA: VIA Sues Apple for Patent Infringement, more from VIA
• HTC: HTC Sues Apple For Patent Infringement, more from HTC
• OnLive, more from OnLive
• Huffington Post: On Live Cloud Gaming Launches At Eurogamer Expo, more from The Huffington Post
• Amazon’s Android Kindle tablet: coming on Wednesday to New York?, more from The Guardian
• ZDNet: Microsoft explains Windows 8 boot to quell Linux fears, more from ZDNet
• UEFI secure booting, more about the UEFI Secure Boot
• O2: O2 Launches Twitter MMS in the UK, more from O2
• BlueVia: O2 Customers can use Twitter via MMS, thanks to BlueVia, more from BlueVia
• Twitter Blog: Share a photo via text message, more from the Twitter Blog
• The Telegraph: London to get its own web address, more from The Telegraph
• ICANN: New Generic Top-Level Domains, more from ICANN