Diablo in details

Activision Blizzard Inc.’s just-released “Diablo III” video game is gaining notoriety over a software bug, as hundreds of Twitter Inc. users post messages about “Error 37.” In 24 hours, said Topsy.com, which compiles hit data, as many as 1,850 posts complained about a bug preventing them from logging on to the online role-playing game. Similar messages were posted on forums of the “Diablo III” website, citing errors about login servers unable to process demands as they are at capacity.

Activision, controlled by Paris-based Vivendi SA, said preorders of 2 million units for “Diablo III” were a record high for the firm, best known for its “World of Warcraft” subscription-based role-playing game.

Getting thinner

Apple Inc. is preparing a new lineup of thinner MacBook laptops running on more powerful chips made by Intel Corp., people with knowledge of the plans said. The MacBook Pro machines, to be unveiled at Apple’s annual developers conference starting June 11, also will have high-definition screens like those on the iPhone and iPad, as well as flash memory to cut startup times and extend battery life.

Apple sales are growing faster than the personal-computer market, benefiting from the popularity of its mobile devices. Competitors such as Hewlett-Packard Co., Dell Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. have followed suit in making thinner, aluminum laptops that start up more quickly.

HIV test

A panel of HIV specialists is recommending that U.S. regulators approve the first over-the-counter HIV test designed to quickly return a result in the privacy of a person’s home, a new option that could expand testing for the virus that causes AIDS. The 17 members of the Food and Drug Administration advisory panel voted unanimously that the benefits of OraQuick HIV test outweigh its potential risks. The test kit uses a mouth swab sample to detect the presence of HIV within 20 minutes.

Faster cloud?

Nvidia Corp. unveiled a version of its processors that will work in cloud-computing centers, offering users the ability to stream advanced graphics through the Internet to remote devices such as Apple Inc.’s iPad. Nvidia collaborated with software maker Citrix Systems Inc. to make the technology work, Chief Executive Officer Jen-Hsun Huang said at Tuesday in San Jose, Calif. Nvidia is one of the top three providers of graphics processing units, or GPUs.

Ethanol up

Ethanol rose the most since April as more expensive corn signaled higher manufacturing costs for U.S. producers. One bushel of corn makes at least 2.75 gallons of the fuel, and producers are losing 4 cents on every gallon made, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Source:http://www.kansascity.com/2012/05/15/3612849/starwatch-consumer-gamers-all.html

Seems HTC has made a tiny boo-boo in their One X software, which causes the battery on their new flagship to drain a bit more than it should. Luckily, XDA developer mike1986 has discovered the issue while working on a custom ROM for the device and has released a method for fixing the problem, with some users claiming an increase of 10%-20% in battery life.

Apparently, an app known as NvCPLSvc.apk was placed in the /system/bin directory on the phone, but it actually belongs in the /system/app directory. This one little slip-up caused the Tegra 3 power management software to not work properly. The fix is to move the file to the proper directory and change the file’s permissions appropriately. This can all be done using ADB to push the file to the right place on the handset, or by using a root-aware file explorer on the device to move the file and change the permissions.

Or, if you don’t want to root, you can wait for HTC’s official fix, assuming HTC includes the fix with the next update.

Source:http://www.talkandroid.com/105866-htc-one-x-software-bug-drains-battery-but-unofficial-fix-is-available/

A software bug is stopping Lumia 900 phones in the US from connecting to the Internet. But Nokia says the glitch won’t affect devices in the UK.

The Lumia 900 has just launched across the pond, but Stateside shoppers who splashed out for the 4.3-inch Windows Phone handset have been struck by a glitch that kills the phone’s connectivity.

“In short,” Nokia writes on its official blog, “a memory management issue was discovered that could, in some cases, lead to loss of data connectivity”.

“This issue is purely in the phone software, and is not related to either phone hardware or the network itself,” the Finnish company claims. To say sorry, everyone who bought an affected mobile gets $100 worth of credit to their phone bill.

Nokia has promised a software update, due to hit the Lumia 900 on 16 April, to fix the embarrassing bug. But crucially, Nokia has stated that the UK iteration of the device won’t be affected by the glitch.

Nokia told our sister site ZDNet UK, “this problem is specific to the Lumia 900 sold by [US network] AT&T. It does not affect any other Nokia Lumia device.”

So that’s a spot of good news for Blighty-based buyers. The Lumia 900 is out in the UK on 27 April, with pre-orders for Nokia’s third Windows Phone effort opening yesterday.

The fact that only the US variant is affected suggests to me that the software glitch could be wrapped up in the Lumia 900’s LTE 4G connectivity, which isn’t a feature present in the UK version. Fingers crossed the model we get isn’t blighted by any other bugs.

Source:http://crave.cnet.co.uk/mobiles/nokia-lumia-900-software-bug-wont-affect-uk-phones-50007599/