• YouTube Announces Film Rentals From Major Movie Studios

    // Gradly // blog, google, Movies, News, Youtube No Responses

    YouTube has announced the launch of film rentals from major Hollywood studios.

    Today, we’re announcing another step in our goal to bring more of the video you love to YouTube: the addition of thousands of full-length feature films from major Hollywood studios available to rent in the US at youtube.com/movies. In addition to the hundreds of free movies available on the site since 2009, you will be able to find and rent some of your favorite films. From memorable hits and cult classics like Caddyshack, Goodfellas, Scarface, and Taxi Driver to blockbuster new releases like Inception, The King’s Speech, Little Fockers, The Green Hornet and Despicable Me. Movies are available to rent at industry standard pricing, and can be watched with your YouTube account on any computer.

    The new titles will begin appearing later today and over the coming weeks at www.youtube.com/movies.

  • Microsoft To Acquire Skype For $8.5 Billion

    // Gradly // Acquisition, blog, Featured, Microsoft, News, Rants & Raves 1 Response

    Following The WSJ report tonight which shows Microsoft, in what would be its most aggressive acquisition in the digital space, was getting closer on buying the online telephony and video communications giant Skype for $8.5 billion all in with an assumption of the company’s debt–$686 million.

    Kara of AllThingsD has confirmed the deal is actually done and will be announced early tomorrow morning.

    The purchase is a bold move for the software giant and its biggest acquisition in more than three decades.

    The big price will give Microsoft–which has struggled in its online efforts and has lost billions of dollars for its work–a big brand name on the Web.

    With Skype, which has been aggressively expanding, Microsoft will continue to lose money in its Internet efforts. Skype lost $7 million on revenue of $860 million. Operating profits, which Skype highlighted, were $264 million.

    But, sources said, the concept is bigger than just money, including getting access to Skype’s 663 million registered users.

    Skype has had a big-company owner before–eBay Inc. paid $2.6 billion in cash and stock for it in 2005, as a way for the auction site’s buyers and sellers to communicate.

    Facebook and Nokia seemed to be interested in the acquisition too:

    Other suitors have looked at Skype, including Google, although acquisition interest by Facebook was very much overblown, said several sources.

    Interestingly, Microsoft’s new smartphone partner Nokia also held meetings with Skype’s CEO Tony Bates, a former Cisco exec who arrived at the company relatively recently.

    Update:

    The deal confirmed by Microsoft

  • Anonymous Hacker Group Possibly Behind PSN Security Breach

    // Gradly // blog, Consoles, News, PS3, Rants & Raves, Scandal, Sony No Responses

    According to Financial Times, two long-time members belonging to the hacker group Anonymous says it’s likely that other group members were behind the attack that took Sony by surprised–contrary to what the group said yesterday in their press release, released yesterday.

    Sony has said in a letter to the US Congress that it found evidence suggesting Anonymous’ involvement but has not directly accused the group of the crime, which exposed millions of customer accounts.

    One member from the group told FT that he saw the technical details of the vulnerability in Sony’s network prior to the attack on the PlayStation Network; the member added, “The hacker that did this was supporting OpSony’s movements”.

    Another long-time member of the Anonymous group told FT that it’s very likely that other members from the group hacked Sony, “If you say you are Anonymous, and do something as Anonymous, then Anonymous did it,” said the hacker, who uses the online nickname Kayla. “Just because the rest of Anonymous might not agree with it, doesn’t mean Anonymous didn’t do it.”

    We’re not sure who to believe? More on PSN hack here.

  • Sony Says 25 Million More Accounts At Risk In A Second Security Hack

    // Gradly // blog, Consoles, News, PS3, Scandal, Sony 5 Responses

    Sony CEO Howard Stringer faced criticism of his leadership after the consumer electronics giant revealed hackers may have stolen the data of another 25 million accounts in a second massive security breach. as reported today by Reuters.

    Sony’s latest revelation came just a day after it announced measures had been put in place to avert another cyberattack like that which hit its PlayStation Network, hoping to repair its tarnished image and reassure customers who might be pondering a shift to Microsoft’s Xbox.

    The Japanese electronics company said its Sony Online Entertainment PC games network had been hacked on April 18, but did not find out about the breach until the early hours of Monday and shut down the service shortly afterwards.

    The breach may also have led to the theft of 10,700 direct debit records from customers in Austria, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain and 12,700 non-U.S. credit or debit card numbers, it said. Stringer has not commented on the security breach, leaving No.2 Kazuo Hirai to lead the news conference and apology on Sunday. Hirai headed the networks division and is seen as the likely successor to Stringer, who in March committed to stay in his role for the current year at least.

    The attack that Sony disclosed on Monday took place a day before a massive break-in of its separate PlayStation video game network that led to the theft of data from 77 million user accounts. Sony revealed that attack last week.

    Sony said late on Monday that the names, addresses, emails, birthdates, phone numbers and other information from 24.6 million PC games accounts may have been stolen from its servers as well as an “outdated database” from 2007.

    Sony executives apologized on Sunday and said the company would gradually restart the PlayStation Network with increased security and would offer some free content to users, pleasing a number of its users.