Maryland Town Car Service | Facebook buys virtual reality headset start-up for $2bn

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By: Matt
Source:bbc.com
Posted by: www.courtesytransportationmd.com

Facebook has announced it will buy Oculus VR, a Californian company which specialises in virtual reality products, for around $2bn (£1.2bn).

The start-up's flagship product, the Oculus Rift, is a goggle-like "immersive" headset for video gaming.

It was developed with funds raised through crowdfunding site Kickstarter, and subsequent investment.

Facebook's boss, Mark Zuckerberg, said Oculus' technologies could "change the way we work, play and communicate".

Investors appeared sceptical, however, with Facebook shares in New York down 6% by lunchtime.

The Oculus Rift has yet to be released, but more than 75,000 orders for development kits have already been placed, according to the social media giant.

In a statement released on Tuesday, Facebook said it plans to expand the use of Oculus technologies to include "communications, media and entertainment, education and other areas".

Oculus' crowdfunding campaign raised $2.4m (£1.5m), 10 times the amount originally sought.

It subsequently received a further $75m from investors.

The Rift headset was widely heralded at the CES technology show in Las Vegas in January, where Sony also announced a rival product.

The deal includes $400m in cash and just over 23 million Facebook shares, valued at $1.6bn.

Oculus employees will also receive an additional $300m if the company achieves certain targets.

Commenting on the deal, Mr Zuckerberg said: "Mobile is the platform of today, and now we're also getting ready for the platforms of tomorrow."

'Shame on you'

It is the latest purchase for Facebook, which last month spent $19bn on mobile messaging platform WhatsApp.

A number of Oculus VR's Kickstarter backers took to the original funding page to express discomfort at the move, but some rallied around the decision.

"Shame on you Palmer, shame on you," wrote user Xod, referring to Palmer Luckey, Oculus VR's founder.

"Facebook is smart, they saw the future, just like the rest of us here, and bought it for two billion. They got a bargain," wrote backer Jeff McMorris.

Games developers were also split about the Oculus VR move.
Markus "Notch" Persson, creator of popular online game Minecraft, said he had cancelled an Oculus deal.

"We were in talks about maybe bringing a version of Minecraft to Oculus," he tweeted. "I just cancelled that deal. Facebook creeps me out."

John Carmack, Oculus VR's chief technology officer, said that Facebook's financial muscle would allow adequate resources for the company.

"For the record, I am coding right now, just like I was last week," Doom co-creator Mr Carmack said. "I expect the FB deal will avoid several embarrassing scaling crisis for VR."

Facebook's share value fell more than 2% in early trading on Wednesday.

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Source:bbc.com/news/business

Wedding Limo Washington DC | WhatsApp founder Jan Koum denies 'careless' reports

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By:Kevin
Source:bbc.com
Posted By: www.courtesytransportationmd.com 

WhatsApp founder Jan Koum has spoken out against "careless and inaccurate" reports about possible changes to the messaging app's privacy policies.

In a blog post, Mr Koum sought to reassure users that Facebook's $19bn (£11bn) purchase of the firm would not change core principles.

"Respect for your privacy is coded into our DNA," he wrote.

The post comes in the wake of complaints to US regulators by privacy advocates about Facebook's purchase.

Mr Koum referenced his childhood in Ukraine in the 1980s, and wrote that "the fact that we couldn't speak freely without the fear that our communications would be monitored by KGB is in part why we moved to the United States when I was a teenager".

He said he would not have allowed the firm to be acquired by Facebook if it meant changing core WhatsApp policies like not asking for users' names, email addresses or birthdays. He said he would not allow user data to be used for advertising.

"Speculation to the contrary isn't just baseless and unfounded, it's irresponsible," he added.

"It has the effect of scaring people into thinking we're suddenly collecting all kinds of new data. That's just not true."
Privacy concerns

WhatsApp currently makes money by selling a $0.99 subscription to users.

Mr Koum previously railed against advertising in a 2012 blog post.

But privacy advocates have asked US regulators to block the purchase, arguing that Facebook has a long history of promising not to use user data for advertising purposes, only to do just that.

In a filing with the Federal Trade Commission, two privacy groups - the Electronic Privacy Information Center and the Center for Digital Democracy - argued that WhatsApp users provided the firm with personal data under the assumption it would not be shared.

"Users provided detailed personal information to the company including private text to close friends. Facebook routinely makes use of user information for advertising purposes and has made clear that it intends to incorporate the data of WhatsApp users into the user profiling business model," wrote the groups.

"The proposed acquisition will therefore violate WhatsApp users' understanding of their exposure to online advertising and constitutes an unfair and deceptive trade practice, subject to investigation by the Federal Trade Commission."

The FTC has not yet said whether it will open an investigation.

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Source:www.bbc.com/news/technology

Hotel Transportation In Maryland | Gravity cameraman collects Hollywood honour

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By:John
Source: bbc.com
Posted By: www.courtesytransportationmd.com


The chief cameraman on Oscar-winning film Gravity has won an award for his work at a ceremony in Los Angeles.

Peter Taylor was named camera operator of the year ahead of a field of nominees including cameramen who worked on American Hustle and Saving Mr Banks.

The Society of Camera Operators (SOC) also paid tribute to Sarah Jones, who was killed by a train in the US while working on the film Midnight Rider.

The 27-year-old's parents accepted an honorary membership on her behalf.
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Her father Richard said: "I know she is looking down with a smile. Her enthusiasm is contagious and I hope it lives on."

The crew of the film had laid down a bed on a railway line in Georgia before the collision, which injured several other members of the crew.

The SOC's David Fredrick urged the 500 people attending the awards to sign a pledge calling for greater safety on film sets.

In accepting the award for his work on Gravity, Peter Taylor dedicated it to the film's camera and grip crew.

He also thanked the film's cinematographer, Emmanuel Lubezki, for employing him.

Lubezki was among members of the film's team who were honoured at the Academy Awards for their contributions.

The film, which charts an accident in outer space and stars Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, won technical prizes for film editing and sound mixing among its haul of seven statuettes.

Its most high profile prize was best director for Alfonso Cuaron.

The SOC awarded the best camera operator in television to Don Devine for Mad Men.

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Source: www.bbc.com/entertainment-arts

Airport Transportation Maryland | Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain withdraw envoys from Qatar

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By-Mike
Source-edition.cnn.com
Posted by- www.courtesytransportationmd.com   

(CNN) -- Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain announced Wednesday the withdrawal of their ambassadors from Qatar because Doha had not implemented an agreement among Gulf Arab countries not to interfere in each others' internal affairs.

The three countries, which are all part of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) along with Qatar, announced the unprecedented move in a joint statement.

They said GCC members had signed a deal November 23 that included "a security agreement and a commitment to the principles that ensure non-interference in the internal affairs of any of the GCC countries, either directly or indirectly, and not to support any activity that would threaten the security and stability of any of the GCC countries from organizations or individuals, including support for hostile media."

GCC foreign ministers met in Riyadh Tuesday to try to persuade Qatar to implement the agreement, the statement said.

"Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain hoped that the agreement will be implemented, however, after more than three months after the signing of the agreement, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain feel that the State of Qatar did not take the necessary actions to put it into practice," a statement on the Saudi Foreign Ministry Facebook page said.

"Therefore Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain regret to announce that they will take what they deem to be the appropriate steps to protect the security and stability of their nations by withdrawing their ambassadors from Qatar."

Tensions

Qatar expressed "regret and surprise" at the decision and said it would not reciprocate with the same move, a cabinet statement published on the state Qatar News Agency said.

It said it would remain committed to "preserving and protecting the security and stability" of the GCC countries.

Tensions between Qatar and the rest of the GCC have increased in recent years.

Wednesday's announcement is the clearest sign yet of a rift between Gulf Arab nations and Qatar, a perceived supporter of Islamist groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and elsewhere in the Middle East -- which are viewed with suspicion or outright hostility by some fellow GCC members. Qatar denounced last year's ouster of Egypt's Islamist President Mohamed Morsy, who hails from the Brotherhood.

The GCC, formed in 1981, consists of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Oman.


Source- edition.cnn.com/world/meast/gulf-qatar-ambassadors

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